


Supernova (Dying Star)

by GodricSalzaar16



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Derek Hale & Isaac Lahey Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Established Scott McCall/Stiles Stilinski, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Gen, Good Theo Raeken, Kira Yukimura Comes Back, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Miscommunication, Monsters, Pack Feels, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-05-30 00:36:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15085184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodricSalzaar16/pseuds/GodricSalzaar16
Summary: A year after the older members of the pack left Beacon Hills, Liam and his friends have been taking care of things. But when a new enemy comes to stir up trouble, they'll need more than Scott to fight them off.To protect Liam, Theo plays a dangerous game that could potentially cost him his second chance. But he'll do anything to protect his new friends - even if it means making them think he's gone back to his old ways.Hopefully, they'll all make it out alive.





	1. S7E01 - An Enemy Rises

**Author's Note:**

> my take on 'Season 7'

“Let’s just get McDonald's,” Liam said, elbow propped up on the window as he stared at the blurring scenery.

  


It was closing in on winter now, so even though it was only close to seven, the sky was almost pitch-black. The moon was hidden by thick, grey clouds and not a single star could be seen – not even with his night-vision.

  


“ _No_ , that shit’s disgusting,” Theo said, and Liam turned to look at him. Theo’s face was morphed into an expression of disgust, his eyebrows drawn together and nose scrunching adorably. “Anyway, Jenna said no junk-food on the _first night_.”

  


“Mom doesn’t have to know!” Liam said, rolling his eyes.

  


After the older members of the pack had left, Liam had taken some time to get his life in order. It was when he realised Theo had all but disappeared, that something was wrong. He searched high and low – with a reluctant Mason’s help – for the asshole until he found Theo in the tunnels. He had been sleeping on a makeshift mattress, and he smelt like he hadn’t showered in weeks. It was all too easy to convince his mom to let Theo stay with them, and Theo’s genuine ‘kicked-puppy’ look seemed to seal the deal.

  


But Liam’s mother and Theo got on like a house on fire, especially when it came to hounding on Liam. Suddenly he had a mother and _another_ overly protective mom-friend.

  


“Lying to your mother Liam?” Theo glanced at him and tutted.

  


“Please – said the _evil guy,_ ” Liam said, sticking his tongue out at Theo.

  


He remembers months – and months – ago when Liam didn’t dare bring up anything from before Theo went to hell. Too afraid to lose a new friend, too afraid Theo would snap his head off – or too afraid Theo would turn back to his old ways with the reminder. But that never happened, an instead it became an inside joke, something Liam brought up when Theo was being extra annoying.

  


“Oh my – you’re never gonna let me live that down,” Theo groaned and Liam smirked.

  


“Of course not! You killed Scott!” He said, but he was smiling.

  


It was all kinds of fucked-up to joke about it, but joking was better than the alternative. And Liam was way past even desiring the alternative – even when Theo was a complete bastard who woke up at _five in the morning for no fucking reason._

  


“If I remember correctly – _you_ killed Scott,” Theo said, and Liam reached over and punched him in the arm. Theo laughed, but he still rubbed his arm. Liam counted that as a tiny victory.

  


“Ha! Go to h – oh, wait,” Liam said, eyes wide and mouth open in an exaggerated ‘O’ as he stared at Theo. Liam fell back in his seat, laughing at the indignant expression that – always – graced Theo’s face.

  


“Fuck you,” Theo spat back, but there wasn’t any heat behind it.

  


“Nah, talking about your murderous past doesn’t exactly turn me on,” Liam said, shrugging. Theo raised an eyebrow, and Liam should have _known_ what would happen next.

  


“Please, a slight breeze would –” Theo started and Liam cut him off quickly.

  


“It was _one time,_ and we went swimming and it was cold!” Liam said, blushing to the tips of his ears, in a way he knew was unattractive and made him look like a burnt tomato (Theo still insisted he was cute). Theo _always_ brought up this story.

  


“We’re werewolves, Liam,” Theo said, deadpan.

  


“Fine, whatever,” Liam glared at him and turned away. When his stomach grumbled he turned back. “I’m still hungry.”

  


“Then why don’t you cook?” Theo said, and Liam laughed again. They both knew what a bad idea that would be.

  


“Do we really want to live through that again? Really?” Liam asked and Theo winced.

  


“Shit, you’re right,” Theo said, shaking his head slightly.

  


“Hey, it wasn’t _that_ bad. Maybe just a little ... undercooked,” Liam tried to insist, but he knew it was a blatant lie. Theo knew it too.

  


“ _Underc–_ Liam, the chicken was still frozen solid,” Theo said, exasperated. He turned to Liam, a small smirk on his face. “It was about to start singing ‘Let it Go.”

  


“Shut up,” Liam grumbled, shoving Theo’s shoulder. They fell silent again when Liam remembered–

  


“We could go to that diner down on main, their burgers are really good.”

  


Mason had introduced him to the place a week ago when they’d been on a late-night patrol. It had been three in the morning, but it was a 24-hour diner. The burgers and milkshakes were _heavenly._

  


“That’s on the other side of town,” Theo said. Liam whined, but Theo didn’t relent.

  


_Fine._ He needed to changed tactics.

 

“You wanna sit in this truck and listen to me complain all the way home, or you wanna go to the diner and _eat_?” Liam asked, knowing what the answer to that would be. He watched Theo struggle for a few seconds, but Liam knew he’d won the battle when Theo sighed and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

  


“The diner it is then,” Theo said, and Liam cheered. Theo rolled his eyes, but Liam could see the small smile at the corner of his lips.

  


“You’re so weak,” Liam said, reaching over to poke Theo in the cheek. Theo went to bite his finger, but Liam pulled it away before Theo could get to it.

  


“Shut it before I change my mind,” Theo said, but Liam could hear the silent, unspoken _‘Only for you.’_

  


He smiled.

  


They were down a back-road, the trees were thick around them, little to no light. Liam fiddled with the radio while Theo kept smacking his hand away. Liam laughed, ready to tease Theo about his taste in music when he lifted his gaze. His heart stopped as he caught sight of the figure standing in the middle of the road. They didn’t move. Theo hadn’t seen the figure yet, but Liam grabbed the steering wheel.

  


“Watch out!” Liam shouted, and Theo’s eyes widened. He jerked the wheel to the side, swerving the truck.

  


Theo hit the brakes as hard as he could. Liam gripped the seat as the truck was dangerously close to tipping over. They went barrelling towards a tree, but Theo swerved out of the way again. Liam’s body rocked forward, straining against the seatbelt.

  


“Fuck,” Theo said when the came to a halt. Liam undid his seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. Theo yelled after him, but Liam ignored him and shut the door.

  


There was no one on the road. He looked from side-to-side, but there was nothing but darkness and rows and rows of trees. There wasn’t a single car for miles. Liam squinted into the darkness, trying to use his night-vision to pick up any silhouettes but there were none.

  


“ _Liam_!” Theo yelled, having gotten out of the car. He charged towards Liam, expression furious. Liam ignored him and continued searching, but there was still nothing.

  


“What the hell was that?” Theo asked, snapping his fingers in front of Liam’s face when he didn’t answer right away. Liam batted him away, looking over his shoulder. He tried to make for the woods, but Theo grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him backwards.

  


“There’s nothing here,” Liam said, mostly to himself.

  


“Yeah, I see that,” Theo said, his voice dripping in sarcasm and barely contained anger. Liam could image the damage this must have done to Theo’s old truck.

  


But then a cold breeze flitted around him, and goosebumps rose all over his body. A shiver raked his spine, and his eyes flashed without his permission. He blinked a few times, but they didn’t stop burning. He turned to Theo, who had released his vice-grip on Liam’s shoulders. His eyes glowed bright blue, and he looked just as confused as Liam.

  


And then, a voice, barely above a whisper, called out to him. He couldn’t hear what it said, but somehow he could tell where it was coming from. He turned back, and there they were, the figure from the road. They stood at the edge of the trees, cloaked in black with bright red eyes. They didn’t move, not even when Liam took a step forward.

  


“ _There,_ ” Liam whispered, tugging Theo along. For once the chimaera went without complaint.

  


The figure still didn’t move, not until Liam and Theo reached the trees. Then they retreated, slipping back into the shadows with a gust of icy air and a flash of red eyes. Liam blinked in surprise, halting.

  


“Come on,” Theo murmured, tugging Liam forward this time.

  


There wasn’t a scent, nor could Liam see the figure with his night-vision. But he could _feel_ them – watching, listening. He followed that feeling, making sure to keep a tight grip on Theo’s forearm. Things didn’t go well for them when they were separated.

  


It felt as if they’d been walking for hours, but in reality, they hadn’t gone that far. The trees thickened, closing in, before smoothing out and leading to a scarce path. There was a pulse in the air – it wasn’t human. It fluttered across his skin and set his blood pumping. It was vaguely familiar – a sense of power, dread.

  


The nemeton.

  


The trees opened like a mouth, a large clearing surrounding the large tree trunk. They stumbled forward, an invisible force driving them forward. Liam didn’t let go of Theo’s arm, instead wrapping his other arm around Theo’s shoulders as Theo stumbled into him.

  


_Liam Dunbar._

  


He whipped around, trying to distinguish where the voice was coming from. The figure stood in front of them now, a few feet away. Liam’s heart stuttered in his chest when more of them appeared. People – _creatures –_ in black cloaks, the shadows moving around them. Red eyes stared at him from all angles, setting his nerves on edge. They moved closer, each step deliberate. They blocked every exit, with no way for Liam and Theo to escape.

  


Liam moved back, dragging Theo with him to stay out of the group’s reach. But the figures bypassed them and headed straight for the nemeton. Gnarly, bony hands stretched out from the sleeves of the cloaks, nails long and coated in a black liquid. Each figure placed their hands flat on the hardwood, digging in their nails. Black goo covered the trunk of the nemeton, flowing down their arms and seeping in through the cracks.

  


A low rumble shook the ground, the leaves fluttering. A large crack broke through the ground at their feet and Theo pulled Liam out of the way before he could fall into the abyss. Theo had his arm around Liam’s waist, plastering Liam to his side. They watched in detached horror as the liquid flowed from the cracks into the ground. A bubbling sound came from the crack, and then something close to a gurgle.

  


An inhuman roar broke through the silence. Birds flew from the trees. The clouds cleared, the moon becoming visible as it shone down on the creature hefting itself out of the ground. Talons as long as Liam’s arms dug into the ground, razor-sharp. The body was grotesque, disfigured and abnormal. Bile rose in Liam’s throat.

  


It didn’t have eyes or a nose, but it had a wide mouth, teeth as long as Liam’s forearms peaking out and gleaming in the moonlight. Sickening cracks sounded in the night as the creature's limbs snapped into place. It stood tall, body hunched over as the black liquid cascaded down its body to pool on the ground. It let out a deafening roar that set Liam’s eardrums ringing.

  


Then it turned to them, head raised and mouth open in a silent scream. It lurched forward, stumbling over its feet before it caught its balance. Then it advanced on them.

  


“Oh shit,” Liam whispered under his breath, body frozen in horror. Theo tightened his hold around Liam’s waist and dragged him backwards, further into the trees.

  


“Liam, stick close,” Theo said, head bent to whisper the words into Liam’s ear.

“As if I’m going anywhere,” Liam shot back, not taking his eyes off the monster quickly moving towards them. Its arms outstretched, claws tearing through the air _millimetres_ from Liam’s chest.

  


Liam distantly noted that the cloaked figures had disappeared, but that didn’t register when he was being chased by a demon. He stumbled as Theo pulled him along, hands firmly wrapped around Liam’s biceps. The monster let out another roar, louder this time, and Liam winced as his eardrums came close to shattering. Blood trickled out of his and into his neck; sound became distorted and blurry.

  


He could vaguely hear Theo shouting his name, but he couldn’t make out any other words. Liam turned his attention away from the potentially man-eating monster chasing them and looked at their surroundings. They were close to the edge of the woods, but the monster was advancing quickly, likely to catch up with them in seconds.

  


“We can’t take them on, we’ve gotta get out of here!” Theo shouted over another roar. His ears were bleeding too – not only that but the corners of his eyes as well.

  


Liam stared at him, brows furrowed. Theo must have picked up on his confusion, because he let out a frustrated noise and yelled, “Get to the truck!”

  


He threw Liam forward, sending him flying through the air a few feet. Liam stumbled as he caught his balance before sprinting through the trees. He could see the truck and pushed his legs further, even though they ached. His lungs burned, heart hammering in his chest as he made it the last few feet to the truck. He collided with the door, breaking one of the rear-view mirrors. Theo appeared not long after, slamming into Liam’s side as he collapsed against the truck.

  


Theo scrambled to unlock the car, both of them tripping over themselves to get in and buckle their seatbelts. Theo started the ignition and peeled out of the space, backing up. It was oddly reminiscent of the time the drove over a Ghost Rider together. But there was nothing there.

  


_Wait_ – there was nothing there?

  


Theo was about to speed away, hand switching gears when Liam stopped him.

  


“ _Stop_!” Liam shouted.

  


“Stop? Are you insane?” Theo asked, incredulous.

  


“Where is it?” Liam asked, more to himself than to Theo.

  


Liam’s eyes trailed over the forest, but he couldn’t see the creature that had been following them just seconds ago. His heart pounded in his chest, and he was afraid that if he turned around, the monster would be standing in front of them, ready to pounce – like the perfect horror movie scene. But when he turned around, there was nothing there – the road still empty and no monster in sight.

  


“It’s not following us?” Theo asked, looking back as well.

  


“No, its,” Liam stopped when a slight movement caught his eye, somewhere close to the side of the truck. White teeth shone, blinking at Liam,“there!”

  


They waited, idling. Theo’s foot was posed over the gas-pedal, ready to press down and send them somewhere far, far away. But the monster didn’t move, stayed in place and watched them – well, as much as it could with no eyes. It knew they were there, Liam could tell. But still, it didn’t move.

  


“I think it’s..stuck,” Liam said, cocking his head to the side.

  


“Maybe for now – let’s get out of here before it gets free,” Theo said, his mouth set into a grim line as he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. He sped up, going way over the speed limit, because the monster being stuck or not, neither of them wanted to be there any longer.

  


“I’ll call –” Liam said, reaching for his phone and ready to dial Derek’s number. But Derek’s contact appeared before he could press call. “Speak of the devil.”

  


“Liam? Liam!” Derek shouted when Liam picked up. Derek sounded panicked – Derek _never_ panicked.

  


“Derek, what’s happening?” Liam asked, but he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew the reason for this phone call.

  


“The house was just attacked – we tried to fight them off but they disappeared,” Derek said. _Shit._

  


“Let me guess – a bunch of guys in cloaks, chanting and then disappearing into shadow?” Liam asked.

  


“Yes. How did –”? Derek tried to ask, but Liam cut him off.

  


“I’ll explain it when we get there, but just know we have a problem,” Liam said, glancing at Theo, who was grinding his teeth.

  


“...I’ll call Scott,” Derek said, and Liam thanked him. When Liam disconnected the call, Theo’s phone rang.

  


They exchanged another glance before Theo connected the call and put it on speaker. It was Mason – he was talking a mile a minute, words undecipherable.

  


“Mason? Slower, we can’t hear you,” Liam said, taking the phone from Theo and holding it between them.

  


“Shadows... cloaks... fucking _chanting..._ _what the_ fuck?” Mason said, gasping between each word.

  


“Just, stay calm and meet it us at Derek’s house,” Theo said, but there was none of his signature sarcasm and annoyance. His face – usually lively and expressive – was closed off, stone-cold. Liam hated that look.

  


“ _CALM!_ ” Mason shouted, and Liam winced, his ears still healing.

  


“Yes! No go, take Corey and Nolan with you, Derek’s already called Scott,” Liam said, disconnecting the call before Mason could say anything else.

  


  


“They went for the whole pack. Even the humans,” Liam said, scrapping a hand over his face. He buried his face in his hands, feeling the irritable urge to scream until he couldn’t anymore.

“How did they even know?” Liam asked, his voice muffled by his skin.

  


Blood dried and crusted in his ears and neck, sticky and uncomfortable. His skin was clammy, damp with sweat and heavy with exertion. He wanted to shower for hours, get into his fluffiest pyjamas and sleep for eternity. But this was what he promised Scott – to take care of Beacon Hills. He had to do his job.

  


“It doesn’t matter, they just do. If they can appear anywhere we are, we have no chance. We need a cloaking spell or something,” Theo said, and Liam lifted his gaze. Theo’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white. The blood on his face had dried as well, but he didn’t look as bothered as Liam felt by it.

  


He glanced at Liam from the corner of his eye, trying to a smile, but it was more of a grimace.

  


“Deaton?” Liam asked, tired but too wired and high on adrenalin to collapse. He couldn’t tell if that was a good or bad thing.

  


“Deaton.”

  


*

  


Stiles was working a late shift, sifting through countless files and papers. His laptop shone a blue light over his face. A few others also milled around, all of them in a similar daze to Stiles. His phone vibrated on the table, drawing his attention away from the case file. He frowned when Scott’s smiling face blinked up at him.

  


“...Stiles?” Scott asked when Stiles picked up.

  


“Dude, it’s almost,” he checked his watch and his frown deepened, “two thirty in the morning. I told you to go to sleep hours ago.”

  


“Sti–”

  


“You _know_ you’ll be tired in the morning, and you’re grumpy when you’re tired and the animals don’t like a grumpy-wolf. Oh, my god – you better not be calling for phone-sex. I am at _work_ , McCall, this is _unprofessional,”_ then he thought about it, “Unless you’re calling for something else – then I’m entirely disappointed, what kind of boyfr–”

  


“Stiles!” Scott shouted, and Stiles fell silent.

  


“What?” Stiles asked, _knowing_ he wouldn’t like the answer.

  


“Something’s wrong,” Scott said, and Stiles _knew_ it – knew it!

  


“What – what happened? I’ll be right there. I’ll call in a sick day and I’ll drive down–”

  


“You’ll need more than a day,” Scott said, voice softer than before. Stiles paused, taking in that all-too-familiar tone.

  


“Scott? Wh –” Stiles asked, and Scott knocked the air from his lungs.

  


“We have to go home, Stiles. They need us.”

Stiles fell back in his chair and shut his eyes. He took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly. They were supposed to be passed this – they were adults now – but the supernatural world didn’t stop for anyone, _least_ of all them. He opened his eyes. He envisioned Scott’s smile, his dad’s fond look, Liam’s annoyed pout and Lydia’s strawberry-blonde hair, Malia’s blunt tone and Derek’s exasperated sighs.

  


The good things.

  


“I’ll meet you there.”

  


  



	2. S7E02 - Old Friends Make Good Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira comes back and things go great. Until they don't.

Beacon Hills was exactly as she remembered it. She’d stopped by her house to see her dad. She hadn’t seen him cry so hard since she left. After spending a few hours consoling him, her mother had emailed her all the information she would need. At first, she wondered where she might find Scott – if he was even in town. But Derek had assured her that Scott was in Beacon Hills with Stiles. And of course, there was only one place he would be.

 

The bell above the door jingled as she entered. The animal clinic looked the same – everything in place, clean and the lingering scent of sterilized equipment hung in the air. She stopped half in the doorway, staring at Scott who stood behind the counter. He looked the same yet different. His skin was darker – tanner – hair longer and arms broader. He had scruff on his cheeks and chin, and a pair of thin-rimmed, gold glasses. He was skimming through a book and was so engrossed he hadn’t noticed her yet. He was still so beautiful, the rays of sunlight hitting him at the perfect angle to cast a hazy glow around him.

 

She smiled. At least that hadn’t changed.

 

“Hi,” She said, her voice loud in the silence. Scott’s gaze shot up, eyes wide as he fumbled with the book in his hands. She gave a small smile, unsure of what to do with her hands.

 

“Oh, my – _Kira_!” He said, all but jumping over the counter to get to her.

 

She barely had time to brace herself as his body collided with hers, his arms wrapping around her waist and shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. He even smelled the same. They stayed like that for a long time, the years and months disappearing as they swayed together. It had been so long since she’d seen him – it had taken months to get over the boy with the wide smile, kind eyes and unyielding will.

 

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her hair, pulling back but keeping his hands on her arms.

 

“I missed you, too,” she said, reaching to ruffle his hair. He laughed and something shifted in her chest. Was there a better sound than Scott’s laugh?

 

“How have you been? When did you get back?” he asked, but she could tell he was restraining himself from asking too much. They hadn’t kept in contact since she left, but neither one could blame the other. From what she’d heard, Beacon Hills had gotten even crazier since she left and it was left to Scott to deal with everything. And there wasn’t really cell reception in the middle of the desert and she’d had to focus on her training.

 

“Derek called my mom – he said you guys might need some help out here,” Kira said.

 

It had been the biggest surprise when her mother had turned to her with a grim look and handed her a phone with _Derek Hale_ on the other line. He’d explained some of the situation to her, but said he would tell her the rest after everyone got back to town.

 

“Wow – it seems like it’s been forever,” Scott said and she laughed. She was glad she wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

 

“I know – I still can’t believe I’m back,” Kira admitted.

 

When she left, she wasn’t sure if she was ever going to come back. And the longer she spent with the Skinwalkers, the less Beacon Hills felt like the place where she belonged. But whether or not Beacon Hills was still her home, it was a special place and it needed – no _deserved_ – to be protected. She’d never heard of another place where humans not only knew about supernatural creatures but coexisted in harmony.

 

“It feels like nothing’s changed,” Kira said.

 

On the drive over to the clinic, she let her gaze wander over the familiar street signs, the stores with the same window-hangings, the children running around in the park, their parents watching from a safe distance. And, of course, a supernatural threat looming on the horizon, threatening to kill them all. Just like old times.

 

“Trust me – a lot has changed,” Scott said, and while he was smiling, there was a nervous edge to it. There was something he wasn’t telling her – she didn’t know if she should pry.

 

“You don’t make it sound entirely good,” she said, giving him a sceptical look, which only made him more sheepish.

 

“Some of it wasn’t,” Scott said, and rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture she was intimately familiar with. He was _definitely_ hiding something from her. When she raised a quizzical eyebrow, he sighed and relented.

 

“We had a bit of a situation a year ago – the Wild Hunt showed up and tried to erase everyone from existence, so fun. And then there was the Anuk-Ite and Gerard and everything was a little crazy for a while, but we’re good now.”

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help,” she said, meaning it.

 

As much as she’d found herself with the Skinwalkers, she’d never forgotten her friends – the things they’d been through, the threats they’d faced. Her mother only told her about what happened afterwards, too afraid Kira would abandon her training and run off to go help her friends. Which was something she would have done at the time? Kira still isn’t sure if she felt angry at her mother for not telling her the truth, or relieved that her friends had prevailed once more.

 

“No, no. You needed to take care of yourself – no one blamed you. Trust when I say we all envied you. You got out of this town,” she couldn’t believe _Scott McCall_ sounded so resigned. In her mind, he was still young and beautiful, caring for his friends and the people of his town, ready to do what needed to be done in order to protect everyone else. Well, all that must have gotten to him at some point, if the sombre expression on his face was anything to go by. So maybe some things had changed around here.

 

“It was great for a while – the Skinwalkers are so skilled and they really helped me. But I missed my friends, and it was time to come home,” she said.

 

She wasn’t unhappy being back. It was good to get the chance to see everyone again – especially her dad – but it felt so unsatisfying. There was no time to enjoy being around her friends, no time to be _normal_. It was a naive wish – she knew that – but still one she desperately craved. Things were always on a constant adrenaline high. New enemies, old enemies, the inevitable threat of death always being overturned at the very last second.

 

“I can’t say you picked a great time to come back,” Scott said and she laughed.

 

“No – I know. It’s part of the reason I came back actually,” she said, and tugged at the heavy bag on her shoulder, drawing his attention to it.

 

She plopped it down onto the counter and emptied most of the contents out. She brushed her hair – now hanging around her ears and dyed purple at the ends – behind her ears and motioned for Scott to come closer. He came around the other side of the counter and leaned his elbows on the surface. Their heads bent down, close together and she had to smile at the familiarity of the position. Judging from the small smile on Scott’s face, he remembered as well. She gave a small shake of her head and turned her attention to one of the larger files.

 

“The creatures you’re facing, we’ve dealt with them before. They surfaced a few months back. It took us everything we had to get rid of them, but we couldn’t kill them, only send them away for a short time,” she said, opening the file and shuffling through a few pages until she finally found what she wanted. “They look something like this.”

 

Scott examined the drawing. One of the Skinwalkers’ shamans drew. She was half-seer. She’d made the drawing shortly after the battle, half from memory and half from visions. But the drawings weren’t the only thing she gave Kira when she left – but Kira wasn’t sure she should tell Scott about it just yet. Maybe when they’d talked more and she was sure he wouldn’t freak out.

 

“Stiles and Mason have been doing some research together – so far they haven’t found much. Not that we have much to go on,” Scott said, setting the drawing aside and looking at the rest of the pages. There weren’t many – the bare minimum they could find in a short period of time.

 

“And that’s where I come in,” Kira said, taking out a few more books. Most of them were in languages she couldn’t interpret, and that was where Deaton – and hopefully also Lydia – came in. According to the shaman, these were all the books that even vaguely mentioned the creatures they were dealing with. “I brought all the research and books we found when we were fighting them. There isn’t much, but they were helpful to get rid of those things for a while.”

 

“I must say your timing is impeccable, this really helps,” he said, his smile wide and blinding. She blinked, mentally shook herself and returned it.

 

There was something different about him. It could be that he was a bit rougher around the edges – but they all were at this point. He couldn’t _always_ be a never-ending source of optimism. Even the sun went down at night. But for all that he was a bit older and more tired, he also seemed freer. More comfortable with himself that she’d seen him even when they were together.

 

They really had a lot to catch up on.

 

“Come on, I’ll take you to Derek’s new house. A few others should also be arriving soon,” he said, helping her packing the books back into her bag.

 

Instead of handing it over, he swung the strap over his own shoulder and smiled. She rolled her eyes – she was more than capable of carrying a few heavy books and he knew that – but let him get away with it. She had meant to talk to Deaton as well, but she had no doubt that they would all be back at the clinic soon enough. She walked Scott to his car – which turned out to be Stiles truck, because _of course_.

 

“You called in the cavalry?” she asked, and she chuckled, placing her bag on the passenger seat next to him.

 

“Basically,” he said, and she let him slam the door shut.

 

Her car was parked further away, but he waited in the parking lot as she reversed. She pulled up next to him and rolled the window down. Her car was new – her dad had gotten it as a ‘welcome home’ gift, big, red bow and all.

 

“Just follow me,” Scott said, and she muffled the snort she let out.

 

She rolled up her window again and watched as he pulled into the main road. As if there was _anywhere_ she wouldn’t follow him.

 

*

 

“Wow, this place is huge,” Kira said.

 

They were a few paces into the woods now, their cars parked at the edge of the preserve. Scott led her through the trees and they chatted about trivial things along the way. She learnt that he was almost done with veterinary school – and he was the _top_ student in his class.

 

The house was huge, made of wood and glass and concrete. It looked homey in a...rich... way. Scott smirked at her open-mouthed awe. They walked up a wide porch, leading to looming double-doors. Scott didn’t bother knocking first; he threw the doors open and Kira winced at the sharp bang. Several voices could be heard from somewhere inside in the house.

 

“The family was one of the founding members of Beacon Hills, and Derek has a _small_ fortune. No one knows where he gets the money, but we’ve all learnt better than to question him,” Scott said.

 

She had to pick her jaw up from the floor. The house had to be at least three storeys high, with a long, winding staircase in the middle of the entryway. Everything was colour-coordinated, rooms filled with modern furniture and overflowing with electrical devices. She could make out two flat-screened televisions, and numerous gaming systems. Pictures lined the walls, old and new faces staring

 

“So who lives here?” she asked, her gaze skimming over the unfamiliar faces. Scott stood next to her, hands shoved in his pockets.

 

“Derek, obviously. Then we had some new additions from when we were saving other supernaturals from the hunters. There are about six new members, I’ll introduce you to everyone,” Scott said, and placed a hand on her elbow to guide her away from the wall in the direction of what looked liked the living room.

 

“Hey guys, look what I found!” Scott called out and Kira winced again.

 

Several heads popped out to greet them, the first of which is a – very – familiar face. Malia’s hair was longer, dyed a lighter brown at the ends. Somehow, she’s gotten _taller_ and _broader_ and undeniably more gorgeous. How was that even possible? Kira barely had time to ponder this before Malia was barreling towards her, smile wide and arms open.

 

“Kira!” Malia said, laughing around the name. She enveloped Kira in a hug, lifting her off the ground. Kira yelped, but laughed as well, hugging her friend back tightly.

 

“Malia!” Kira said when Malia put her back on her feet. They stood, smiling at each other for a second too long. Kira’s stomach fluttered, but she ignored it – probably indigestion.

 

“I haven’t seen you in forever,” Malia said, her gaze travelling over Kira in an appreciative way. Kira’s cheeks flamed red, and her stomach swooped. _Indigestion_ , she told herself. “You look amazing.”

 

Malia was always so blunt, straight-forward. She didn’t have a reason to lie, nor did she want to. She called out people’s mistakes and flaws. She was genuine and true –  and she thought Kira looked _amazing._ Shit, Kira needed to sit down.

 

“T-Thanks,” Kira stuttered, biting the inside of her cheek to keep the pleased smile off her face – that would be creepy. Her whole face was burning bright red, and she forced herself to calm down.

 

“Aw,” came a voice from the doorway, and she looked away from Malia to see Stiles, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

 

Unlike Scott, Stiles looked completely different. He hadn’t grown as much, but he was fitter – from what she could see. He wasn’t wearing jeans and a hoodie, instead perfectly fitted pants and a white shirt, his FBI jacket hung loosely over his shoulders. He must have just gotten here.

 

She smiled at him. “Stiles!”

 

“Come here you,” Stiles said, meeting her halfway in a bear-hug. They held on for a few seconds before she pulled away to examine him up close. Before she could say anything, ask all the dozens of questions that burned on her tongue, she caught sight of Derek, standing where Stiles had been a few moments ago.

 

“It’s good to have you back,” he said, a genuine smile on his lips.

 

He hadn’t aged much – maybe werewolves really were immortal – still with the same scruffy beard and deep, blue eyes. He was dressed down in sweatpants and a tight, white t-shirt.

 

“It’s good to be back,” she said, giving him a grateful nod. He returned it, before heading back into the living room.

 

He came back a few seconds later, a group of teens trailing behind him, most looking abashed. Scott snickered behind her, moving forward to greet the kids. He placed a hand on Kira’s shoulder as he passed her.

 

“Let’s introduce you to everyone,” he said.

 

“Guys, this is Kira Yukimura – she’s a really good friend of mine. She’s a kitsune, one of the strongest. And she came here to help her with our problem,” Scott said, gesturing to Kira. Her face flamed at his words. She wasn’t ‘one of the strongest.’He had to be exaggerating.

 

“These are the twins, Juan and Mai – they’re werewolves from Hong Kong,” Scott said, gesturing to two young, dark-haired teenagers. They had similar features, with matching tattoos adorning their cheeks. Mai gave her a small wave, while Juan gave her a respectful nod, which she returned.

 

“This is Ava, she’s a were-coyote from Iran, Braeden brought her in,” Scott said. Ava was a bit older than the rest of them – older than Kira even – and reached her hand out to shake Kira’s hand. She was a dark-skinned woman, dressed in elegant yellow, contrasted by the scars on her knuckles.

 

“Any friend of Scott McCall’s is a friend of mine,” she said simply and Kira gave her a small smile in return.

 

“Callum is from Arizona, he’s a Devil Bird,” Scott continued with the introductions. Kira would have to ask Stiles to explain what a ‘Devil Bird’ was to her later. Callum offered her a nod but said nothing. He was taller than Scott, but no doubt younger.

 

“And then this is Daniela. She’s a hellhound Parrish found in Brazil,” Daniela was a tiny and pink-haired. She bounded over to Kira.

 

“ _Hola,_ ” Daniela said, her eyes bright and wide as she stared at Kira. “I love your hair.”

 

“I love _yours_ ,” Kira said, because she did. Daniela preened under the compliment, and Kira knew she had just made a new friend.

 

“And you know Lydia,” Scott said, and Kira whipped around. Lydia stepped out from the foyer. She looked regal as always, hair done in a complicated, braided bun on the top of her head, a few strands framing her face. Her make-up – as always – was perfectly done, signature red lipstick on.

 

“We’ve missed you so much,” Lydia said, drawing Kira into another tight hug. Kira held on a bit longer than necessary, but Lydia didn’t seem to mind, only giving her another squeeze before letting go. “Look at you.”

 

Lydia touched the tips of Kira’s hair, before taking a step back and examining her fully.

 

 

“Look at me? Look at _you_ ,” Kira said, because Lydia had always been pretty but now she was jaw-dropping. “God, it’s been so long.”

 

“Too long,” Lydia said, drawing her into a side hug and keeping her arm lightly around Kira’s shoulders.

 

“You’re surprisingly cool about everything – I thought you would be more –” Stiles said, making weird gestures with his hands. Kira frowned.

 

“More what? Why wouldn’t I be cool?” Kira asked, confused. She looked around the room, taking in a few guilty faces and a few other concerned ones.

 

“Wait – did Scott tell you about the thing?” Stiles asked, turning to his best friend in disbelief. Lydia too, seemed taken aback.

 

“What thing?” Kira asked. _What was she missing_?

 

“You didn’t _tell_ her?” Lydia hissed. She narrowed her eyes at Scott, He flinched under Stiles’ and Lydia’s collective glares.

 

“It didn’t seem like the best time, she just got back,” Scott said in explaination. Stiles and Lydia didn’t stop glaring. Scott shrunk back. Kira watched on, still confused.

 

“Guys, what are you talking about?” she asked again.

 

The front door opened and footsteps approached, but she ignored them, more focused on her weird friends. Scott’s eyes widened comically, and he turned to Kira, mouth opened to say something – a warning? - before another familiar voice filled the room.

 

“They’re talking about me.”

 

Theo _fucking_ Raeken stood in the middle of Derek’s foyer, hands in his pockets, too comfortable in a space where he shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t even be _alive._ He should be rotting in hell, where she put him!

 

“What the –” Kira tried to get out. But her body was moving before her body could register her thoughts. She leapt at Theo.

 

“Kira, wait –” someone yelled, and she belatedly realised it was _Liam_. Why was he telling her to stop? Wait – did Theo come with _him_? What the hell?

 

She didn’t let these thoughts scewer her judgement and stayed focused on what she was doing. Theo didn’t block her or move out of the way. Instead, he stayed in place, crashing to the floor as her body collided with his. He didn’t fight back – not when she straddled his thighs, not when she brought her fists down and punched him straight in the face. She didn’t scream, her anger seething in silence. She felt his nose break under her knuckles; felt the skin break and tear. Blood splattered on the tiles and carpet, but she’d apologize for that later.

 

“How did you even get out, you son of a bitch?” when she finally stopped. Still, he didn’t fight back, didn’t say anything as she sat back on her heels. She twisted her fist into the front of his t-shirt and hauled his upper body to hers. Her eyes burned orange as she hissed in his face. “Where’s my sword?”

 

“Broken,” he said, his voice quiet and blank. He stared at her, unmoving and in obvious pain. She saw red, wrapping a hand around his throat.

 

“You _broke_ it?” she hissed, teeth grinding together.

 

She knew a countless ways to snap him in half easily, but that’s not what she wanted. She wanted him to _suffer_ for what he had done; wanted him to rot six feet under. She tightened her grip and watched as he choked and sputtered. But even then, he didn’t fight her off. _What was he trying to do_?

 

“No!” Liam screamed, lunging forward and knocking her arm away, shielding Theo’s body with his own. Someone else – Mason? - dragged Theo to his feet and away from her. “It was me.”

 

“Why?” Kira asked.

 

Of all the people, she never expected Liam to spare Theo in any way – least of all to _bring him back to life._ But here he was, shielding the psychopath who had lied and manipulated him into killing Scott. His gaze didn’t waver, and she could only see a smidgen of guilt buried deep in his eyes, but nothing else. And he wasn’t moving out of her way either.

 

“It doesn’t matter now,” Liam said, hesistating only momentarily. His gaze shifted to Scott. Scott must have made a gesture Kira couldn’t see, because Liam’s shoulders sagged and he stood up, defeated. “I still have the pieces.”

 

“Give them to me,” Kira demanded, her voice hard and cold.

 

He’d broken her sword! The only piece of herself she’d left in Beacon Hills! That sword had been in her family for centuries and he’d broken it and freed that bastard from hell. Liam should be glad she was too tired to attack him as well. A hand wrapped around her wrist and she turned to – of course – Scott. He shook his head. She huffed, annoyed, but complied anyway.

 

“And _you_ ,” Kira said, turning back to Theo. He was still covered in his own blood, skin slowly healing. He stared at her impassively, not a hint of emotion on his face. She would put that bastard back in the ground, sword or no sword.

 

“Once I fix the sword, you’re going right back where you came from. And you’re staying there for good this time.”

 

The room was deathly quiet as she left.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for all the spelling/grammar errors, this is unbeta'd.


	3. S7E03 - Some Things Never Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Kira talk. 
> 
> Liam and Theo talk.
> 
> Derek is desperate.

 

“I’ve been going through the books you gave me. It might take a while, but I’m sure we’ll be able to get something useful out of them,” Kira said to Deaton. He was washing his hands by the sink and gave her a bland smile.

 

The bell above the entrance rang and Scott soon appeared in the doorway. He gave Deaton a friendly nod and smile before moving to stand next to her. Kira ignored him. She was still upset about the night before. She had never felt so blind-sided – especially by Scott.

 

“Hey...” he said, scratching the back of his neck. He didn’t look her straight in the eyes, which she was thankful for. She didn’t need his sad, puppy eyes tugging at her heartstrings when she was supposed to be mad at him.

 

“I’m sorry about last night,” he went on when she didn’t say anything in return. She turned the page, but she wasn’t taking anything in, not with Scott looming next to her exuding too much nervous energy for her to concentrate. She finally snapped when he began tapping his foot. She closed the book and set it on the table, turning to Scott.

 

“Which part exactly? The not telling me part or dragging me away?” she asked, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She still had the vague urge to hit something, and although she didn’t really want to take it out on Scott, it’s not like he wouldn’t heal right away.

 

“Both?” he said, sounding only a little unsure.

 

“You don’t sound too sure about that,” she said, raising an eyebrow at him. He shrunk back a little, dropping his gaze again.

 

“I said I was sorry,” Scott mumbled, grabbing the book she had been reading and skimming through the pages.

 

“Well that doesn’t mean much, babe,” Kira said sarcastically and ripped the book out of his hands and turned to the right page. The words swam in front of her and she threw it back down on the table, her fingers itching. She let out an irritated sigh and moved to sit down in the corner of the room. Scott followed hesitantly after her and took a seat next to her.

 

“What the hell, Scott?” she asked, scrubbing a hand over her face.

 

“Look it’s complicated, okay? Theo, he’s – well not _good_ per say, but he’s on our side,” Scott said and she snorted. She shook her head.

 

“So what, he’s part of the pack now? You let him into the pack after everything he did to us?” she asked, curling her lip. She could still remember everything as clear as day. How could Scott let that- that _psychopath_ anywhere near their pack?

 

“No, he’s not part of the pack – as far as I know, he doesn’t even want to be,” she gave him a confused look and he explained, “He mostly sticks around Liam.”

 

“Why? Because Liam’s the one who brought him back?” she asked, giving him a scathing glance. He didn’t back down this time, holding her gaze. She snapped. “He shattered my sword! How could you let him –”

 

“I was a bit busy at the time! And it’s not like he’s tried anything since coming back. Liam keeps him in check,” Scott said and she gave a humorless laugh at the implication.

 

“Liam?” she asked, disbelieving. When she’d met Liam Dunbar, the kid could barely control himself and now Scott was trying to convince her that he could somehow keep a raging psychopath in check.

 

“I know – it’s, those two – I can’t even explain it,” he said, looking away from her. He shook his head and she could see the tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

 

“Okay fine, but I meant what I said. I’m fixing the sword then I’m sending him back,” she said, standing up and wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans. Scott didn’t stand, instead looking up at her as if she were a puzzle he was trying to solve.

 

“Well good riddance,” a voice came from the doorway and she turned to find Stiles standing with his arms crossed over his chest, changed out of his FBI uniform and wearing his signature plaid-and-jeans ensemble.

 

“ _Stiles_ ,” Scott said disapproving. Stiles rolled his eyes and stepped further into the room. He took her vacant seat next to Scott and leaned heavily into his friend’s side with a smug smirk on his face. Kira imagined he was enjoying this situation more than anyone else.

 

“What?” Stiles asked, faking innocence. Scott’s displeased look didn’t falter and Stiles sighed. “Fine, fine. But it’s Kira’s sword so it’s her decision. And if she wants to send him back, _I’m_ not going to stop her.”

 

“Good luck dealing with Liam then, remember – he’s a werewolf with IED, so have fun,” Scott said, nudging Stiles and smiling at him with fake sweetness. Stiles’ smug look turned sour and Scott’s expression turned genuinely pleased. Kira watched them both with fascination.

 

“He’s _your_ kid,” Stiles spat, but Kira could tell there was no heat behind his words. If Scott was the Pack Dad, Stiles was the Mom. It’s the way it had always been.

 

“Sure – says the one who calls him every Sunday to make sure he’s doing his homework,” Scott said and Kira couldn’t help but chuckle. Scott shot her a pleased smile while Stiles glared at her. It was clear whose side she should be taking. At least to him.

 

“Hey! I take offense to that, Liam needs all the help he can get,” Stiles said turning his attention back to Scott and poking him in the shoulder. Scott barely reacted to the contact, rolling his eyes and poking Stiles in the side. Stiles yelped in surprise and glared. Kira found it comforting that some things hadn’t changed during her time away.

 

“That’s why he has Mason,” Scott said serenely and Stiles scowled, huffing in annoyance.

 

They both continued squabbling until Kira turned their attention elsewhere. She threw a few books at Scott and told them to look for anything that might be similar to what Derek had described. Stiles lapsed into complete silence as he poured over the books, painstakingly studying every page. Scott didn’t have his patience, instead skimming through the book, tossing it to the side if he didn’t find anything. It was an hour later, when all their necks ached from the stiff angle and stomachs grumbled, that Stiles broke the silence.

 

“I gotta go, I’m meeting _Mason_ ,” Stiles said with fake annoyance. He stuck his tongue out at Scott who did nothing but smile up at him. Kira looked between them, noticing something was off but unable to pinpoint what it was. She turned back to her book and tried to ignore them.

 

“Yeah, so _go_ ,” Scott said, gesturing to the door almost tauntingly.

 

“Tell your dad I say hi,” Stiles said as he gave Kira a one-armed hug which she barely returned, too focused on the words in front of her.

 

“Chris isn’t my dad,” Scott spat back and Kira’s brain took a minute to process the words.

 

“He’s kinda your dad,” Stiles said.

 

“Wait, Chris _Argent_?” Kira asked and they both stopped their bickering to turn to her. Stiles’ eyes lit up, a strange mischievous glint in them.

 

“Oh oh-oh, you have a lot to catch up on,” Stiles said, patting her shoulder as he left.

 

“I’ll see you later!” Scott yelled out after him, not looking up from the book he was skimming through. Stiles yelled something back that Kira couldn’t make out, but it made Scott smile.

 

They lapsed into silence again, until Kira’s stomach growled. Loudly.

 

“Let’s take a break and get something to eat,” Scott said and she had never been more thankful for him.

 

*

 

“So...” Kira said when she was sitting in the passenger seat of the Jeep. They were heading to a diner on the other side of town because Mason thought their burgers were the best.

 

“So...?” Scott asked, a confused smile on his lips as he side-eyed her.

 

“This is going to sound so weird,” Kira said, mostly to herself.

 

It was weird to ask your ex if they were seeing anyone, right? Maybe she shouldn’t ask, maybe it would make things awkward. Shit, what if he thought she was asking because she wanted to get back together? Oh, she couldn’t take the embarrassment.

 

“What?” Scott asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. She decided to ask and get it over with. It would have come up sooner or later – better it be sooner.

 

“Are you...dating...anyone,” she asked. There was a long pause, longer than she anticipated. Panic started to set in as her worst fears reared their head. “Oh god, I didn’t mean to make it sound like that – I didn’t mean – I just – I haven’t seen you with anyone –”

 

“I know what you meant, Kira,” Scott reassured her and she let out a sigh of relief. She was thankful he was always so understanding. “In fact, I could ask you the same question?”

 

“What question?” Kira asked, frowning. Scott gave her an amused smile.

 

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asked and she blushed.

 

“Uh, no...not currently,” she said. She hadn’t been with anyone since they broke up. There hadn’t been anyone around who really interested her. And she was always so caught up in her training that she hadn’t given much thought to dating.

 

“I am,” he said and she jerked in surprise. It wasn’t that she didn’t expect him to have moved on – but she kind of _didn’t_ expect him to have moved on. But it had been two years, so it shouldn’t have been so surprising.

 

“Oh? Are they not in town? I haven’t really seen you with anyone,” she stopped herself before she started babbling. She tried to go through all the people she’d met since returning to town, but none of them had been overly friendly with Scott in any way.

 

“It’s uh...” Scott trailed off and Kira’s eyebrows rose when she noticed the blush staining his cheeks. He didn’t look at her, instead staring straight out at the road. Kira turned her body fully towards him and prodded him in the ribs.

 

“Uh...?” she prompted, poking him again until he sighed. Still, he didn’t take his eyes off the road.

 

“It’s Stiles,” he muttered, only loud enough for her to hear. She blinked.

 

“Stiles?” she asked because obviously, she must have heard him wrong.

 

“Yep,” he said and his voice sounded strained. She blinked again.

 

“Stiles _Stilinski_?” she asked again.

 

“Do you know anyone else called Stiles?” Scott asked. She could tell he was annoyed now, and his shoulders had risen into a defensive line. She cursed herself – she hadn’t meant to make him feel bad, she was just surprised.

 

“Sorry, I just – didn’t see this coming,” she apologized. Then she really thought about it. Her mind flashed back to the scene at the animal clinic – their close proximity, the teasing, and unnecessary touching. All of that could have been brushed off as the typical Scott-and-Stiles behavior if Kira didn’t know they were dating.

 

And then she realized something. “Wait – no. It all makes so much sense now, oh my god.”

 

“What?” Scott asked, glancing at her with suspicion.

 

“All the failed relationships,” Kira said and Scott rolled his eyes.

 

“I wasn’t secretly in love with Stiles the entire time,” he said and she gave him a doubtful look. “I’m serious.”

 

“Really? Not even a little?” Kira asked. If she thought back, the only thing in Scott’s life that had ever been constant and unyielding had been Stiles and Melissa. It only made sense.

 

“Okay, maybe. But only a little,” Scott admitted, smiling absently. He looked downright struck that she had to look away. “But don’t tell him though. He’ll never let me live it down.”

 

Although Kira couldn’t deny _that_ , she knew that whatever part of Scott that had been a little bit in love with Stiles since the beginning was there in Stiles too. She wondered if Scott knew. He was always oblivious when it came to certain things.

 

“I’m happy for you,” she said, meaning it. If there was anyone who deserved to come out of everything happy, it was Scott McCall. “I don’t think there is another entity on this planet more perfect for you.”

 

“I’m lucky, aren’t I?” he asked, sarcastically more than anything else, but she could hear the truthfulness behind the façade.

 

“I wish I was that lucky?” she lamented and frowned when Scott gave her a knowing look. “What?”

 

“Nothing, just,” he paused, smiling to himself again before turning to her with the same mischievous glint in his eyes that Stiles had had earlier. “Malia seemed happy to see you yesterday.”

 

Kira’s cheeks flamed.

 

“N-Not more than normal,” she said, and his smile turned from knowing to smug. Damn, she wished she weren’t so transparent sometimes. Or maybe Scott just knew her that well.

 

“Hmm?” he asked, nudging her with his shoulders, but not looking away from the road. When he spoke again, his voice was high-pitched and slightly mocking. “Oh Kira, you look _amazing_. Let me hug you and hold you close _forever_.”

 

“Oh, my – _Scott_. Stop. It’s not like that,” she said, but she was laughing and Scott probably took that as a victory.

 

“ _Sure_ it’s not,” he said and they collapsed into giggles all the way to the diner. In that moment, she forgot about Theo, about the evil monsters that were lurking about and trying to kill them. She forgot everything about Beacon Hills that made her leave and focused on the one thing that almost made her stay.

 

*

 

“I’m serious about Theo,” she said when they had finished eating and they were parked in front of the animal clinic again. The sky was darkening, light blue replaced with shimmering golds and oranges.

 

“Hmm?” Scott asked. They had both been too full and content to engage in conversation on the ride back.

 

“When I fix the sword, I’m putting him back in the ground,” she said.

 

His expression turned hesitant again and she couldn’t help but feel irrationally annoyed. He had been all for putting Theo in the ground the first time. She couldn’t imagine what must have happened – what Theo could have possibly done – for Theo to have fooled Scott into thinking he still deserved to be alive.

 

“I...can’t say I agree with your decision. Theo’s a complicated person, and you know me – I’m all about second chances. But, I won’t stop you.” Scott said, and while she was happy with that answer, she wasn’t fully satisfied. “You sent him there, it’s your decision what you chose to do now.”

 

“But you can’t guarantee anyone else won’t try to stop me,” she said. Again, the hesitance.

 

“No, I can’t,” he said and she knew what – who – he meant.

 

“Liam?” she asked and he nodded.

 

“Yeah – he’s – they’re – I really can’t explain it. Stiles almost had an aneurysm when Liam told us Theo was moving in with him,” Scott said and she whipped her head around to look at him. He shook his head at her disbelieving look.

 

“Theo’s _living_ with him? And you just allowed it?” she asked and immediately regretted when his eyes turned hard and he set his jaw into a firm line. He looked nothing like she remembered him.

 

“He’s my beta, not my kid – no matter how much everyone else likes to joke around. He’s almost an adult, he makes his own decisions,” Scott said, in the same tone he probably used on everyone else when they had asked the same question – because she had no doubt that they all had.

 

“But it’s _Theo_ ,” she insisted, but his expression didn’t change, and when he turned to her she almost flinched back. But she could tell his anger and frustration wasn’t aimed at her – at least not entirely.

 

“Trust me, I know,” Scott said. The anger melted away, leaving nothing but weariness and Kira couldn’t tell if that was better or worse. He looked so resigned.

 

“I can’t see it, I’m sorry,” she said, because in a way she was. “I still see the guy who killed you – who tore our pack apart.”

 

“I know,” he said, and by the way he was staring out at the horizon, she knew he was telling the truth. “I see him too sometimes, but it’s less in reality and more in my memories. I think he really has changed – Stiles not so much – but we’ll never truly know.”

 

And it was that not knowing that got to Kira more than anything else. She just couldn’t risk it – not again.

 

“I guess we won’t.”

 

*

 

“Liam, _sit. Down,_ ” Theo said from where he was lying on Liam’s bed, their shared laptop balanced hazardously on a pile of blankets at Theo’s socked feet. All he wanted to do was spend a quiet night in bed, watching Game of Thrones with Liam and eating cheap pizza.

 

“She can’t just _send_ you back, who does she think she is?” Liam said. He was pacing a hole in the floor, biting down on his thumbnail. Theo rolled his eyes and tried to capture Liam’s wrist and drag him down onto the bed, but Liam dodged him and continued pacing.

 

“She’s the one who put me there in the first place. And I deserved it,” Theo said, and Liam turned to give him a dark look which Theo matched sharply with his own. “We both know that.”

 

“But so what? It’s been so long – you’ve changed!” Liam said and Theo fought back the urge to smile.

 

A year ago, Liam would have handed Theo over to Kira without a second thought. He would have apologized profusely for breaking her sword. Now here he was, willing to put himself in front of his pack if it meant protecting Theo. There weren’t words to describe the ridiculous feeling of warmth that cascaded through Theo at that notion.

 

“I’m not sure everyone else sees it that way,” Theo said, reclining and putting his hands behind his head. Liam sent him another dark look.

 

“I don’t care what they think, I’m not letting them send you back!” Liam said.

 

There was so much conviction and earnestness in his voice that Theo stopped repressing the smile that was fighting its way onto his face. But that determination didn’t matter. Theo cared for Liam too much to have the boy go against his pack for him.

 

“ _No_ ,” Theo said and Liam stopped short. He didn’t move a muscle, staring at Theo and studying his face. He must have found something he didn’t like because his expression crumbled.

 

“Theo,” Liam said. His voice was pleading, eyes wide.

 

“No. You are not going to do anything. _When_ they come for me – and they will – you will not stand in their way. You won’t stand against your pack, not for me,” Theo said with a firm shake of his head.

 

Liam moved to take a seat at Theo’s side, placing a hand close to Theo’s hip. Theo could almost feel the heat of Liam’s skin through the thin layer of fabric of his shirt. Theo said, reaching out and wrapping a hand around Liam’s wrist. That small bit of contact zinged through him and he had to take a breath to steady himself against doing something stupid.

 

“But you’re my pack too,” Liam said softly, his eyes downcast as he looked at Theo’s fingers wrapped around his wrist. Theo’s heart skipped a beat at the words, and he hoped Liam didn’t catch it.

 

“No, I’m not,” Theo said – as painful as it was to say. It was the truth, no matter what either of them wanted to believe. “And I won’t ever be.”

 

Maybe it was the finality in Theo’s voice that got to Liam because he collapsed on the bed next to Theo and buried his face in a pillow. Theo couldn’t restrain himself and reached out to card a hand through Liam’s unruly hair. He hadn’t cut it in weeks.

 

“They can’t just take you away,” Liam said when he turned his head to look at Theo. He sniffed and Theo told himself it was because of the weather.

 

Liam turned around until he was lying on his back. Their shoulders were pressed together and the heat Liam radiated steadied Theo a little bit. They laid in silence for a while, but Theo could all but hear Liam’s thoughts running rapidly.

 

“You could run – leave Beacon Hills, start over somewhere else, find a new pack,” Liam said. As hopeful as he sounded, Theo could detect the slight pang of hurt beneath the cheerfulness.

 

Theo snorted.

 

“What – without you?” Theo asked. He wasn’t joking. Liam had been the one to bring him back to life – no matter his own selfish reasons. And he’d let Theo into his life and into his house and he’d let Theo _stay._

 

Theo had never had a family, not really. After his parents, and then Tara and then the _Dread Doctors,_ he didn’t exactly have the normal family experience. But then he had Jenna and David and Liam and the thought of leaving them hurt more than anything he’d ever been through. He couldn’t think about how Jenna would react when Liam told her Theo was gone. He had to close his eyes against the sudden onslaught of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

 

“Come on,” Liam said, drawing him out of his thoughts. “You don’t need me.”

 

There weren’t enough words for Theo to tell him how wrong he was.

 

“I’m done running. I’ve run from things my whole life, from my sister, from the Dread Doctors, from _myself._ I’m tired,” Theo said and found that it was the truth. He was tired – tired of all the death and the guilt that he could never escape.

 

“So you’re just going to let them kill you?” Liam asked. Theo felt Liam’s eyes boring into the side of his head.

 

“If that’s what it takes to get some damn peace and quiet,” Theo joked and felt Liam’s irritation rolling off him in waves.

 

“ _Theo_ ,” Liam growled.

 

“Nope, I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Theo said and turned to look at Liam with what he hoped looked like a convincing smile.

 

“This is important,” Liam said and Theo’s smile turned genuine.

 

“Not as important as finishing all of Game of Thrones before I’m sent to the underworld without Wi-Fi,” Theo said and Liam glared. He batted Theo’s hand away when he tried to right an out-of-place curl.

 

“You’re not funny,” Liam huffed, turning away from him.

 

“Play along, Dunbar,” Theo said. He placed a hand on Liam’s shoulder. While Liam didn’t shake him off, he didn’t lean into it either.

 

“We might not have much time left, and I, for one, want to make the most of it. Each second could be my last, and for some reason – I want to spend all the rest of them with you. So shut up, play the episode and lay next to me while we still can.”

 

Liam was quiet for a long time and Theo was afraid that Liam was going to refuse. But he didn’t, he reached for the laptop and pulled it onto his lap. Theo scooted closer to him and leaned his head on Liam’s shoulder.

 

“Fine,” was all Liam said as he pressed play and shifted closer so they could both be more comfortable.

“Good,” Theo said.

 

*

 

“I know it’s been a while, and you probably don’t want to hear from me but...” Derek said and the voice on the other side muttered some choice words.

 

Derek waited patiently until they were finished speaking again.

 

“We need you,” Derek said. The line was silent.

 

“Something is coming – worse than everything we’ve come up against and we need everyone we can get.”

 

Still nothing.

 

“Please, I’d never ask this of you if I didn’t have to,” Derek pleaded.

 

“Come home.”


	4. S7E04 - A World Becoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the stakes rise

Theo was still in Liam’s room when he returned from school. He was reading one of Jenna’s obscure historical romance novels with the cheesy picture of an entwined couple on the front. A tiny, bemused smile played on his lips. Liam ignored him and went in search of his keys. After five minutes, he found himself standing in the middle of his room, hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

 

“Hey, where’s my—?” Liam asked when Theo briskly cut him off.

 

“It’s over there,” Theo said, pointing to the far side of the room without looking up from his book. Liam’s frown deepened when he caught sight of his keys lying on top of a pile of books on his desk.

 

“And the—” Liam asked after he’d picked up the keys and shoved them into his back pocket. Again, Theo didn’t look up from his book as he pointed to the other side of Liam’s room.

 

“Literally right there,” Theo’s voice was annoying, and he glanced up with a sharp look in Liam’s direction.

 

“No need to be so—” Liam whined and Theo rolled his eyes. Liam’s phone rang, the loud obnoxious ringtone Mason had chosen that Liam had never bothered to change. That and it annoyed Theo to the point of hilarity.

 

“Your phone’s ringing,” Theo said, his expression growing more annoyed. Liam smiled to himself at the twitching frown on Theo’s face at the sound and rummaged around in his bag for his phone. His stomach swooped when he saw the caller ID.

 

_No,_ he thought almost desperately. _It’s too soon._

 

“It’s Scott,” Liam croaked. His throat was dry and he had to swallow thickly to get some moisture into his mouth. Theo looked up at him with a confused expression. How could he be so calm?

 

“So...?” Theo asked.

 

“You don’t think maybe, I shouldn’t...” Liam said.

 

He felt so unsure. He knew—logically—that Scott was probably calling to check in or something, but the image of Kira kneeling over Theo, his blood on her knuckles as she repeatedly punched him in the face still flashed through Liam’s mind and made his stomach turn. Scott had taken a bit too long to pull her off, and he hadn’t objected when she said she was putting Theo back in the ground.

 

“Oh my—just answer it, Liam. I doubt they’re going to call before they haul me off,” Theo said, which yes, Liam _knew_ , but still. The worry wouldn’t go away and Theo’s false nonchalance was beginning to grate on Liam’s nerves.

 

“You’re not funny,” Liam deadpanned.

 

“As been stated before,” Theo said, giving Liam a wide smile and turning his attention back to his book. Liam accepted the call and despite his gaze being elsewhere, Liam knew Theo’s focus was on the phone call.

 

“Hello?” Liam asked.

 

“Liam!” Scott all but shouted in his ear and Liam flinched away from the speaker.

“What’s wrong—Scott?” Liam asked once his ear stopped ringing. Liam could make out other voices around Scott and the sound of a fax machine. A voice that sounded like the Sheriff’s called out to someone and Liam guessed Scott must be at the police station.

 

“Something happened. You said there was a barrier right—that the creature could only go so far?” Scott asked. The sick feeling Liam got whenever he thought of the creature reared its head and Liam had to take a moment before answering.

 

“Yeah?” Liam asked. He didn’t like where this was going.

 

“Well, looks like that barrier’s gone. We’re at the police station. People have been calling in for about an hour about a strange creature lurking around town,” Scott said.

 

Liam’s mind went blank. It took him a few seconds to recover before he spoke again.

 

“Fuck—how did it even get out?” Liam asked. Panic was settling in him and his heart picked up. He wondered if Scott could hear it.

 

“We don’t know, we’re still looking through the lore to figure it out. Stiles thinks it has something to do with the nemeton, but we already knew that.”

 

Scott sounded rightfully agitated and Liam couldn’t help feeling worse. Scott shouldn’t be in Beacon Hills, dealing with this. He was supposed to be off at Vet school, living his life. He had left this job to Liam and Liam couldn’t even _do_ it.

 

“So what do we do? Has it attacked anyone?” Liam asked.

 

“No—not yet. We think it's going for supernatural creatures. Maybe it can only sense us,” Scott said and Liam bit his fingers. He thought about Mason being attacked, but then again he had probably been with Corey at the time, so maybe that was how they found him.

 

“So you want me to check it out,” Liam said.

 

There was a part of him that wanted to stay as far away from those creatures as he possibly could, but he knew he had to do _something._ He had already failed once, this was the least he could do.

 

“Yeah—take Theo with you. If it attacks, call me,” Scott said, and despite the fact he couldn’t see him, Liam tensed at the mention of Theo from Scott.

 

“I will,” Liam assured him. He paused, biting down almost hard enough to draw blood before tearing his hand away and broaching the subject. “And Scott?”

 

“Yeah?” Scott asked, impatient but not annoyed. Liam knew it wasn’t the time, but he _had_ to do this. He had to ask.

 

“About Theo...” Liam started and he watched as Theo perked up at the mention of his name. Liam didn’t doubt that he had been listening to the conversation the entire time, but now he was interested.

 

“...I know, Liam. But we’ll talk later, okay? Let’s deal with this first,” Scott said, and Liam felt both relieved and dejected. He withheld his sigh.

 

“Okay,” Liam said, letting it go—for now.

 

Scott ended the call and Liam found himself standing there, phone still pressed to his ear as he listened to the sound of static. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before composing himself. He wasn’t angry—he didn’t know what he was. He’d never felt this way before.

 

“Time to go,” Liam said when he opened his eyes and found Theo looking at him intently.

 

“Where are we heading?” Theo asked as if he didn’t already know. Liam rolled his eyes.

 

“Town square,” Liam said, playing along. He grabbed Theo’s dark grey jacket and shrugged it on. Theo scowled at him but didn’t object.

 

“Let’s go then,” Theo said, and Liam could hear something beneath his tone. Liam couldn’t help but wonder if Theo was counting down the days until—until... The thought made Liam’s stomach tie up in knots and he had to swallow against the lump in his throat.

 

“You sound excited,” Liam said, which wasn’t what he wanted to say, but he knew anything else—anything about _that—_ would be shut down immediately.

 

“It’s been too long since we’ve dealt with a formidable enemy,” Theo said, and for the first time in the last few days, his smirk as genuine.

 

“So Monroe and the Hunters weren’t formidable enough for you?” Liam asked, raising an amused eyebrow. Theo’s smirk broadened.

 

“Not even remotely,” Theo said with a little bit.

 

“Sure, Cujo,” Liam said, shaking his head.

 

*

They drove in silence, through the same path as the night everything had started. Liam stared out of the window the same way he had that night, but this time his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, all scattered, loud and incoherent, but always leading back to the boy sitting next to him. He was startled when Theo broke the silence with a loud sigh.

 

“You’re still thinking about it,” Theo said. Liam stared at him in disbelief—and a little bit of anger.

 

“Of course, I’m still thinking about it. It’s not just going to go away,” Liam said—more hissed—at Theo, and his eyes flashed before he could stop himself.

 

He turned away from Theo and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He let it out slowly and tried to count down from fifty until his heartbeat slowed and his head was—relatively—clear. They descended into silence once more, until Theo spoke again.

 

“We need to focus on this,” he said and Liam had to tamper down his anger once again.

 

“I _know_ that,” Liam barked.

 

He knew they had to stop whatever was happening, but once they did...Scott, Kira, and the others weren’t just sending Theo away, they were sending him back to hell—they were killing him. And it was because of that that Liam clung to his anger because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to drag himself out of the pit of despair he was threatening to fall into.

 

“Then focus, Little Wolf. We’ll deal with that later,” Theo said, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he glanced at Liam. Liam stared back at him and looked for any trace of fear from Theo, but he found none. But that didn’t matter.

 

Theo had always been a good liar, after all.

 

*

 

Town Square was empty when the pulled up in front of the Town Hall building. It was just passed the middle of the night, and yet the streets remained undisturbed, not a soul in sight. Liam and Theo shared an uneasy look as the exited the car. Liam’s eyes tracked across the horizon, but there wasn’t anything—not a sight or sound. If anything, it was erringly silent.

 

“So what do we know?” Theo asked, sticking closer than he normally would, but Liam didn’t mind. He jammed his hands into the pockets of Theo’s jacket, just this side of too big, hanging off his shoulders.

 

“Absolutely nothing. Scott thinks it can only sense supernatural creatures. Or maybe it just doesn’t care about the humans. Mason’s been in the library for two days straight trying to find something. He’s giving Corey an aneurysm,” Liam said, shrugging.

 

He wished he knew more about the situation, so they weren’t going in completely blind. Hell, he didn’t know what they would do if the creature attacked them again—they’d barely made it out the last time.

 

“I can imagine,” Theo said, smiling fondly. Liam couldn’t tell if it was because of Mason or Corey. Despite what all three of them said, Liam knew that they were friends—and close friends of that. It had taken a while, but they had gotten there. The smile that had unknowingly formed on Liam’s lips dropped from his lips. He shook his head before his thoughts could take a morbid turn.

 

“I don’t get it, though. Where did they even come from? And why now?” Liam said. His frown grew deeper the more he contemplated the questions, and Theo huffed out a laugh.

 

“Who knows? Beacon Hills attracts the crazies,” Theo said, smiling—not smirking, actually smiling—and Liam had to refrain himself from telling Theo that _he_ had once been one of those crazies.

 

“I hope they find something soon. We barely made it out last time and there’s no magical barrier to save us this time,” Liam said, unable to adopt the same light-heartedness Theo seemed to have about the situation.

 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Theo said. And of course— _of-fucking-course—_ that is the exact moment the creature decided to show up. But that wasn’t even the worst part.

 

There were more of them now.

 

Four—or maybe five—creatures slunk lethargically across the street. Long, winding arms hung loosely at their sides, dripping the same black liquid as before. Razor-sharp teeth glinted under the sunlight, as sinister in the day as they were at night. Liam found himself frozen in shock and fear, and Theo grasped his bicep and dragged him backward.

“What the _fuck_?” Liam barely had the time to mutter.

 

A loud roar rippled through the air. Liam flinched, his eardrums ringing. His eyes were heavy in his skull and he blinked at the sudden pang of pain that spread through his forehead. Blood trickled down his face from the corners of his eyes, clouding his vision. More roars filled the silence until Liam couldn’t hear anything but the inhuman snarl that rippled through him. He stumbled backward into Theo, who was staring forward with a determined expression on his face. His grip on Liam’s arm was steel.

 

“We need to call Scott. _Now,_ ” Theo said. Before he could reach for his phone, one of the creatures sprung forward, a deafening shriek leaving its throat as it tore through the air towards them.

 

Theo used all of his strength to shove Liam away from him. Liam stumbled, fighting to stay upright as he crashed into the ground. A long talon impaled the concrete where they had been standing. It turned sharply to face Liam, nostrils flaring. Liam backed away. His eyes fell to where Theo was approaching the creature from behind and he cursed.

 

The creature must have sensed him because the second Theo got to close, it veered around, swinging out and clawing at the air. One sharp end of its talon tore across Theo’s chest and drew blood. Theo stumbled backward, looking down at the blood staining his shirt.

 

“Theo!” Liam screamed. His voice snapped Theo out of his daze and his face turned cold as he stared dodged another hit.

 

“Focus, Liam! I’m fine!” Theo shouted back.

 

Liam ignored him and charged forward. He jumped onto the creature’s back, his own claws tearing through the slippery skin. The creature roared, rearing back and trying to shove him off. Liam held on tighter, throwing his weight backward. They stumbled back and gave Theo enough from to pounce. Theo’s claws slashed through the creature's throat, black liquid spurting everywhere.

 

Liam screamed in pain, his grip faltering. The creature flung itself forward, sending Liam flying. He didn’t manage to avoid the talon that embedded itself in his shoulder. He screamed again as he tumbled to the ground. He could faintly hear Theo cursing, but he couldn’t do much else as he convulsed on the floor. Black spots danced across his vision and he fought to bring himself to lean on his elbows. Theo and the creature were still facing off. Theo’s chest was still bleeding, the edges of the wound a sickly red-purple color. Theo’s eyes cut to him, cold and calculating.

 

Liam dragged himself away, watching in morbid horror as the creature swung at Theo again. He dodged, lunging forward and knocking the creature to the ground close to where Liam laid. It roared again and Liam gasped, trying to cover his ears and block out the sound. Theo didn’t falter, despite the burns on his arms and the blood running down his face and chest. He thrashed through the skin, didn’t stop until chunks of skin fell away and the ground was stained with black blood.

 

The creature fought back feebly, but Theo didn’t stop. Theo clawed its chest open until a gaping hole emerged. The creature struggled, trying to shove Theo off to no avail. When it finally gave up, Theo stilled, breathing heavily.

 

Liam made a pathetic sound at the back of his throat, and Theo’s gaze lifted sharply. His eyes widened and he was moving away from the creature, rushing towards Liam. He hauled Liam to his feet, wrapping an arm around Liam’s middle and taking most of the weight.

 

“Shit, Liam,” Theo muttered, drawing him behind a car and out of sight of the other creatures—not that it would matter. He set Liam on the ground again, leaning his body forward and checking the wound. Liam could feel the blood running down his back.

 

“You’re bl-bleeding,” Liam said, trying to turn around but Theo held him still. It was a good thing too, the wound flared whenever he moved. He gritted his teeth against the pain.

 

“So are you,” Theo said, poking around the hole and Liam had to bite down on his tongue to keep from screaming. Theo withdrew his hand and Liam whimpered in relief.

 

“We’re not healing?” Liam asked. The burns on his arms throbbed dully, red and blistering across his skin. If anything, they seemed to be getting worse.

 

“We need to get out of here,” Theo said. He lifted his head and checked over the car hood. He cursed and ducked down again. Liam could see him contemplating their odds. He looked at Liam, expression frustrated and desperate.

 

“Too—too many of ‘em?” Liam guessed, his words stuttering and beginning to slur together. His head spun and he lurched forward. He distantly heard Theo calling his name, and warm, blood-soaked hands grasping his face but he was quickly falling into unconsciousness.

 

Maybe he was hallucinating as well because there was the loud shriek of tyres against concrete and he could hear a familiar voice calling out.

 

“Get in!” Mason shouted, and—

 

Mason? How did he get here? Liam struggled to blink, his hazy vision clearing until he could make out Mason’s car, the passenger door was thrown open. Theo huffed out an amazed laugh and dragged Liam towards the car. Theo shoved him onto the back seat, making sure not to aggravate his wound.

 

“Right on time, Mason,” Theo said as they sped away. He looked back at Liam, his jaw set. Blood—his and Liam’s and the creature’s—was splattered across his face, and there were a few burns scarring his neck.

 

“Aren’t I always,” Mason said as Liam passed out.

 

*

 

Scott bit at his thumbnail, flicking through the pages of yet another ancient book about monsters, and yet again found nothing. He closed it and threw it in the discarded pile, picking up another one. Malia made a frustrated noise as she threw down the book she was reading and stood up the pace around the room.

 

“Still nothing?” Malia asked, directing her question towards Stiles, who was cross-referencing the book he was reading with another article on his laptop.

 

He looked up, skin paler than usual, eyes hollowed and sunken in, dark circles under them. His hair stood in all directions from continuously running his hands through it. He had all but bitten through his bottom lip until it was cracked. He looked like he had when the nogitsune had possessed him. Scott shivered at the memories and pushed the thought away.

 

“Not a damn thing,” Stiles sighed, his voice hoarse from disuse. He rubbed his palms into his eyes and Scott resisted the urge to reach out and comfort him. That would be an extremely awkward thing to do in a room full of their exes.

 

“What are we going to do? If we don’t figure this out—” Malia started, but Stiles cut her off.

 

“I _know_ , alright. I’m looking!” Stiles snapped and everyone went quiet, the tension in the room thick and palpable.

 

The sound of Scott’s phone ringing startled all of them, and they jumped. Scott let out a breath and checked caller ID. His heart sped up when he caught the name.

 

“...It’s Theo,” he said to no one in particular and picked up the call.

 

“Theo?” Scott asked, and he could make out Mason’s voice in the background and the sound of a car engine.

 

“We have a problem,” Theo said, not beating around the bush.

 

“What happened?” Scott asked after a moment. Horrible scenarios ran through his brain and he had to steel himself against the anxiety clawing at his insides.

 

“We went to check out the creature – turns out there are _more_ of them now,” Theo said and Scott closed his eyes.

 

“Shit,” Scott muttered, and Stiles’ ears perked up, eyes wide and curious.

 

“It gets worse,” Theo said, and Scott had to stop himself from asking _How could this possibly get worse?_ “We managed to injure one of them, it should still be lying around somewhere there. It got us good, though. And Scott...”

 

“What?” he asked. His voices sounded far away to his own ears. He sounded like someone completely different.

 

“We’re not healing. Whatever those things are – they can kill us.”

 

There was a finality in his tone that shouldn’t be there in a nineteen-year-old kid. Theo was so cocky and arrogant and _sure._ Now he sounded grave, beaten down. _Resigned._ Scott took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He detached himself from the situation and tampered down the emotions building in his chest. He cleared his throat, his voice cooler this time.

 

“I’ll call ahead to my mom at the hospital. She’ll fix you guys up and we’ll head over to check out the creatures,” Scott said.

 

“I’ll keep you updated if anything happens,” Theo said and Mason said something Scott couldn’t make out in the background.

 

“Thanks, see you guys later.”

 

“Well, things just got a lot worse,” Scott said when Theo ended the call. He scrubbed a hand over his face, sighing in frustration. Stiles came up next to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

 

Lydia, Malia, and Kira—who had been sitting in a small circle, heads bent over more than a dozen books—glanced up at him.

 

“What happened now?” Stiles asked, squeezing his shoulder until Scott slowly released the tension from his shoulders. Scott tried to subtly lean into the touch, only enough so that no one would notice anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t feel like having that particular conversation yet.

 

“Liam and Theo went to Towns Square to check on the situation. Since the creature escaped, it seems to have multiplied,” Scott said, letting out another frustrated noise. Stiles' hand tightened on his shoulder.

 

“Great, more of them now,” Stiles said, voice dripping with familiar sarcasm. Scott let out a humorless laugh.

 

“That’s not all. They injured Liam and Theo,” Scott paused to take a breath. He looked up and met everyone’s gazes. “They’re not healing.”

 

“Fuck,” Stiles said after a moment. And then again, more insistently. “ _Fuck_.”

 

“They’re heading to the hospital now. I told them we’d go check on everything,” Scott said, trying to shake off Stiles’ hand so they could leave. Stiles made an indignant noise and with all his human strength, hauled Scott backward until they were face-to-face.

 

“Are you insane? One good hit and you’re _gone_ , McCall!” Stiles said, voice rising with every word. Scott’s chest tightened at the sight of the pure, naked fear in Stiles’ eyes—fear for _Scott._ God, he wanted to wipe that look away, wanted to reassure him but it wasn’t the time or the place and this needed to be dealt with.

 

“Stiles, we don’t have time for this. Lydia, Malia, Kira and I are going. You stay here – try to find something to help us,” Scott said, placing his hand on top of Stiles’ and removing it.

 

“Scott!” Stiles shouted and the _terror_ in his voice cut through Scott. He grasped Stiles’ hand and entwined their fingers, squeezing hard enough to bruise. Stiles squeezed back just as tightly.

 

“Look, I’ll be fine,” Scott tried to reassure him, but he knew he couldn’t guarantee it.

 

“You don’t know that!” Stiles said. And he sounded so desperate, so broken that Scott released his hand and cupped Stiles’ face in both his hands, drawing him closer. He didn’t care about Lydia or Malia—who he knew was watching the exchange-- and Kira already knew so it didn’t matter.

 

He drew Stiles forward until their foreheads were almost touching. Stiles let out a shuddering breath and Scott felt his entire body trembling.

 

“Stiles – _I’ll be fine,”_ he whispered this time, with more conviction. Because he _would._ He had to. He had too many things—too many people—waiting for him for this to be the end. Stiles leaned forward and placed his head on Scott’s shoulder, his mouth pressed into the fabric of Scott’s shirt. Scott moved his hands to cradle the back of Stiles' head for a moment, running his fingers through short, coarse hair.

 

“You better fucking come back or else I’m dragging you back from the dead to kill you myself,” Stiles mumbled into Scott’s shoulder and Scott smiled despite himself. He pressed his cheek to Stiles’ hair and closed his eyes.

 

“I love you, too,” Scott whispered, but it was still loud in the silence of the room.

 

*

Malia went with Kira—because _of course_ , she did, Scott thought smugly. So that meant he was stuck in his and Stiles’ Jeep with a silently seething Lydia. Thankfully, there were no delays with the Jeep, so they were on their way. Lydia only spoke up when they were halfway there, and Scott had to applaud her on her restraint.

 

“When did that happen?” Lydia asked with a false air of nonchalance as she stared out the window.

 

“When did what happen?” Scott said because, despite everything, he didn’t want to be having this conversation.

 

“Don’t play coy with me, McCall,” Lydia snapped, turning to look at him. Her eyes were sharp and her words sharper. “How long have you and Stiles been a thing?”

 

“Lydia...” Scott sighed, looking away from her.

 

“Tell me,” she insisted. He locked his jaw and thought about it. She wasn’t about to let it go, and it was better to just it over with. He took a deep breath and braced for impact.

 

“A year.” There, he said it. Silence greeted him. His skin itched, but he didn’t say anything more, waiting for her reaction.

 

“ _A year._ ” It was both a statement and a question. As if she knew it to be true and yet couldn’t—or maybe _wouldn’t—_ believe it.

 

It grated at Scott’s nerves and he found himself snapping back.

 

“Yes, okay? It’s not like we planned it – it just happened. After...everything, it was something good. Something new, but familiar. We didn’t know how to tell you guys,” Scott said. Some of the fight left him as he spoke, and he deflated.

 

“We broke up _fourteen_ months ago. He barely waited,” Lydia said and Scott almost swerved into a stop sign when his hands twitched.

 

“Neither did you,” he said. He hadn’t meant for it to come out as harsh as he said it, but it was the truth. Stiles and Lydia had broken up and Lydia had gone back to Beacon Hills, where she reconnected with Parrish. Scott hadn’t judged her, so she didn’t have the right.

 

She didn’t say anything and he could tell she was upset. When the silence became too much, he finally spoke again.

 

“ _This_ is why we didn’t want to tell you. I knew you would be upset,” Scott said and she let out an undignified snort.

 

“Of course I’m upset. Does Malia know?” she asked. He knew she was trying to bait him, but it wouldn’t work.

 

“No,” was all he said, hoping she would let it go at that because he didn’t want things getting uglier than they already were.

 

“How do you think she’s going to take it?” Lydia asked. Scott glanced at her, but she was still staring out of the window, her face blank and impassive as if they were just discussing the weather.

 

“Hopefully better than when she found out _you_ were dating Stiles,” Scott said before he could stop himself. But he didn’t regret saying it.

 

“That was different—” Lydia started, fuming but Scott only let out a small, humorless laugh as he shook his head.

 

“ _No_ it wasn’t,” he snapped. “I don’t need your judgment, Lydia. We’re not teenagers anymore, you have no claim over who Stiles dates.”

 

She stared at him and he stared back. When it became clear neither one of them was going to budge, he turned his attention back to the empty road.

 

“I guess I should be happy it's you,” she said after a few minutes. He didn’t reply and the fell into silence again.

 

“There’s no one more perfect for him,” she said another few minutes later and he was reminded of Kira’s comment when he’d told her.

 

“Honestly I should have seen this coming,” she said again, and she was frowning when he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Again, that comment tugged at him. He wondered how many people thought that.

 

“First Jackson and then Stiles – is it me?” Lydia asked and Scott found himself cracking a smile. When he caught Lydia’s gaze, she was smiling too. She placed a hand on his forearm for a moment and he knew they would be okay.

 

*

 

It was chaos when they finally arrived. The creature that Theo and Liam had managed to subdue was lying somewhere off the side, oozing some type of liquid from the gaping hole in its chest. Kira stood, surrounded in a bright orange hue of light, the vague shape of a fox shimmering around her edges. Her arms were outstretched, electricity shooting from her fingertips as she struggled to hold off one of the creatures.

 

“Scott!” Malia called out.

 

She hadn’t fully shifted, but her claws and teeth were out, her eyes glowing bright blue. She was fighting off one of the creatures. Another one headed towards her and Lydia surged forward, screaming ripping through the air and sending the creature flying back.

 

“Jesus—are you guys okay?” Scott called out.

 

“Yes, but not for long. Get in here!” Kira shouted.

 

He didn’t need any further prompting. He dove forward attaching himself to one of the creatures and sinking his claws into the skin.

 

*

 

They were haggard, stumbling around. Scott had burns up and down his arms, claw marks that luckily hadn’t broken the skin. Kira was slowly losing energy, the light around her faltering as she fell backward. Malia abandoned her task to catch her. Malia had blood splattered across her face and a large, festering scar across her right cheek. Lydia had all but screamed herself hoarse and was clutching at Scott’s arm to keep herself from crumbling in exhaustion.

 

“What—what’s happening?” Lydia gasped in his ear when all the creatures went still. Scott frowned as they shuffled backward, arms going limp at their sides and heads hanging low. They moved as a group, all in-synch.

 

“They’re retreating...” Scott said. The creatures slunk away like dogs, disappearing into the shadows of the late afternoon. Scott didn’t follow them. He couldn’t continue this fight.

 

“But why?” Lydia asked.

 

“I have no idea,” Scott said. He only knew it wasn’t good.

 

_Scott McCall._

 

He froze at the sound of the disembodied voice, a thick growl in the back of his mind. He whipped around, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Then he caught it, the edges of a shadow, appearing in a pocket of darkness created by the trees. He shivered as red eyes bore into him.

 

_A new world is Becoming. Fight and die. Or join us and thrive._

 

 


	5. S7E05 - The Importance of Elevators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Angst Fest begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UNBETA'D

 

Ruined and ragged, they return to Derek’s house. Thankfully, it looks normal and unscathed, and Scott finds himself relieved that nothing happened while he was gone. He knew that Derek and his pack could handle any threat, but with the news of Theo and Liam not healing, the worry he’d felt before had amplified tenfold. He tried to listen for the voices inside the house, but his ears were still ringing with the last words the creature had said to him.

 

Before he could grasp the handle of the front door, a hand gripped his elbow and pulled him back. He turned to look at Kira, her hand wrapped tightly around his arm. She had a scrape across her right cheek, but none of the venom had gotten onto her skin, so she was safe. Malia stood close to her right, a steady presence of support. Lydia stood a bit away from them, looking out at the forest with wide eyes and a blank expression that made Scott’s insides curl.

 

“What are we going to tell them?” she asked, a sort of desperate look in her eyes screaming out for Scott to come up with something, anything to make the situation the better—the way he always had in the past.

 

“We tell them the truth and we go from there. This—these creatures aren’t like anything we’ve dealt with before. I have no idea how we’re going to make it out of this, but we have to find a way.”

 

She nodded without another word, and Scott had to turn away from her look of fear and—slight—disappointment. He pushed the door open without any more hesitation. He was afraid that if he puts it off for any longer he would turn around and leave.

 

“Oh thank god,” are the first words he heard when he stepped through the doors. He barely had a second to register Stiles barrelling towards him at full speed, before he’s pulled into a fierce hug. Stiles’ arms squeeze around his aching ribs and make the muscles in his back creak, but he buried his face in the side of Stiles’ neck and inhales his scent. He allowed himself a few moments of comfort before the pain becomes too much.

 

“Stiles... wait...” he finally said, gentle as he pushed Stiles away and tried not to collapse. He’s so tired.

 

“Shit, sorry,” Stiles said, jumping back and looking over Scott’s body with wide, worried brown eyes. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

 

His hands fluttered over Scott, unsure of where to touch as he looks for any serious injures.

 

“I’m a bit banged up, but we didn’t get any of their blood on our skin, so we’re better than Theo and Liam,” Scott said. He grabbed Stiles’ hands and held them in his own for a while, caressing hardened knuckles with his fingertips.

 

Stiles was still looking for injuries, his eyes travelling faster than Scott could think. Scott watched him, achingly glad and relieved that Stiles hadn’t been anywhere near the fighting. He used to hate the fact that Stiles was so human, so easily a target to the cruel and unforgiving supernatural world. But these creatures didn’t care about humans. So Stiles was safe.

 

_Stiles is safe._

 

“Fuck, I was so worried,” Stiles said, not caring about Scott’s earlier protests and pulling him into another—albeit gentler—hug. Scott can’t find it in himself to feel anything but content and relieved. So he melted into the hug, laying his head on Stiles’ shoulder and closing his eyes. It’s as if his own pain melts away and he wonders—not for the first time—if Stiles had gotten some weird werewolf magic that makes him take away all of Scott’s pain.

 

“Wow, I really should have expected this,” someone said from behind Scott. Both he and Stiles froze, pulling away slightly. Stiles gave him a sheepish smile.

 

“Did I forget to mention that Isaac is here?” he asked, biting his lip. Scott shakes his head and tries to force the fond smile forming on his face into more of an annoyed scowl, but it’s obvious he doesn’t succeed.

 

He lets go of Stiles and turned to catch Isaac standing a few feet away from them, a wide grin on his face. Somehow, he’s taller than before, tanner, muscular and his hair even curlier. Scott smiled and drew him into a tight hug, no doubt cutting of his circulation. Isaac didn’t hesitate to hug him back. They’re both laughing by the time they pull apart. Stiles came up at Scott’s side, pulling Isaac into a side-hug, smiling at both of them.

 

“No, but really. You two? Makes perfect sense,” Isaac said and then laughed. Stiles ruffles his hair and then shoves him away while he’s still laughing.

 

“Not the time dude, but thanks,” Stiles said, taking the words straight out of Scott’s mouth. Scott smiled at him, grateful.

 

“ _Isaac Lahey_ ,” Scott said. “Where have you been, man? We’ve missed you? I didn’t think you’d come back—not after... you know...”

 

He trailed off. How would he finish that sentence? ‘After Allison died?’ ‘After the girl we both loved died in my arms?’. Nothing seemed exactly appropriate. So he let Isaac finish the thought and watches his smile tinge with long-forgotten sadness that Scott was all too familiar with. He grabbed onto Isaac’s hand and gave a quick, reassuring squeeze before letting go.

 

“I didn’t think I would either, but Derek called and said you guys really needed my help,” Isaac said with a shrug, but Scott knew it pained him.

 

Isaac had left when things were terrible. Before Allison had died, Derek hadn’t been the best Alpha. The things he’d put not only Isaac, but Erica and Boyd through had left their scars. And losing Erica and Boyd had been its own kind of trauma. And even earlier than that, with his father. Things had never gone well for Isaac in Beacon Hills and Scott wasn't sure how he made himself come back. Scott was thankful to have him there either way.

 

“Thank you for coming,” he said and hoped his voice conveyed all the sincerity he felt. He tried to change the subject. “Did Derek introduce you to the others yet?”

 

“Yeah, he did. I have to admit, I always thought it was just you who picked a bunch of random strays,” Isaac jokes, but there was a bitterness there, not aimed towards Scott. He looked away. “Guess Erica, Boyd and I weren’t good enough.”

 

“You know that’s not true,” Stiles said, drawing Scott and Isaac’s attention to him as he leveled Isaac with a look. Scott knew Stiles and Isaac hadn’t always gotten along, but it was never anything more than friendly annoyance, never hate. He knew Stiles had missed Isaac just as much as everyone else after he’d left, despite staying silent about it. Scott was good at reading Stiles that way.

 

“He learnt from his mistakes with you and he’s better with them now,” Scott said, giving Isaac shoulder a comforting squeeze.

 

“Well, glad we were the perfect trial run of what _not_ to do,” Isaac muttered under his breath, loud enough for them to hear.

 

“I’m sorry,” Scott said, and he’d never meant it as much as he did in this moment.

 

“It’s not your fault. Not all alphas can be as good as you,” Isaac teased, trying to break the tense silence shrouding the room. Scott let him, shaking his head.

 

“I don’t know if I’m so _‘good’_ anymore,” Scott confessed, and Stiles assessed him with a measuring look. “My beta’s in the hospital, Lydia looks close to catatonic and Kira looks like she’s regretting coming back already. And not to mention the whole situation with Theo.”

 

“About that...” Isaac asked, raising an eyebrow and Stiles snorted. Scott pushed Stiles away from them and grabbed Isaac around the shoulders. Stiles squawksed indignant, but Scott paid him no mind.

 

“Again. Not the time, dude,” Scott said.

 

“I feel like it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass at some point,” Isaac said, and Stiles made an agreeing sound on Scott’s other side. Scott shoved him away again, but he only migrated to Isaac’s other side and gave Scott a smug look.

 

“I do too,” Scott sighed. They didn’t get the chance to talk more before Derek was darkening the doorway, face carefully passive, giving no emotion away. Scott wished, not for the first time, that he could have Derek’s ability to hide his feelings so well. Scott always wore his feelings on his sleeve for everyone to see.

 

Jackson appeared at Derek’s side, shouldering his way past Derek. He didn’t look any different from the last time Scott saw him.

 

“McCall,” Jackson said, giving a nod.

 

“Jackson, you came,” Stiles said, faking cheerfulness. Despite the years gone by, Stiles had never forgiven Jackson for all the things he’d done to all of them—mostly Lydia. Scott couldn’t say he blamed his boyfriend.

 

“Lydia asked,” was all Jackson said as an explanation. Stiles rolled his eyes and looked away, annoyed.

 

“Of course,” Scott said, and then greeted the other werewolf at Jackson’s side. “Hi Ethan.”

 

Ethan, although he didn’t look any happier to be there than Jackson was, gave Scott a more respectful nod.

 

“Scott,” Derek spoke up, drawing their attention to him. Isaac didn’t stiffen beside Scott, which he counted as a win. “The others want to know the plan.”

 

“I’m coming.”

 

Scott didn’t have to heart—nor the courage—to tell him that he had no idea what the plan was. He was so out of his depth; he didn’t even know where to begin. But they were all counting on him to get them out of this mess and he wasn’t about to fail them now.

 

He wondered when this would all end. What would it take for this all to end?

 

!

 

“Fuck,” Theo hissed, fighting off the urge to tear his hands away from Melissa’s firm hold.

 

Melissa had finished scraping away the last of the mangled skin on his arms and hands. She’d injected him with the Nine Herbs. There was a chance it wouldn’t work and the poison would continue to spread and eat through his skin until there was nothing left. But it hadn’t taken long for the concoction to kick in, the poison bubbling and turning an odd purple colour before it had stopped eating its way up his arms.

 

“Language,” Melissa said, giving him a stern glare as she smothered disinfectant over the exposed skin. He bit his lips before another curse could escape.

 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. He didn’t look her in the eyes—he never really could, despite all the time that had passed. He focused on a topic he could talk about. “How’s Liam?”

 

She paused in turning to grab the bandages, fingers twitching as she looked straight at Theo for the first time that night. He could see the thoughts flitting through her mind, wondering if she should tell him or not. His gut churned and something heavy clogged his throat, making it harder to swallow.

 

“I don’t think you want to know the answer to that question,” she said, which only served to frustrate and scare him more. Before she could wrap the bandages around his arms, he grabbed her hands in his own, his mangled and blooded fingers gripped tightly.

 

“Melissa, please,” he pleaded, forcing himself to look into her eyes. He hoped his tone, his face, his eyes could properly convey how he felt in that moment, because he wasn’t sure if he could get the words out. He needed to know Liam was okay. He needed to know Liam would make it.

 

“We had to restrain him to one of the beds. One injection wouldn’t be enough, so we’re filtering it into his bloodstream through a few IVs. He hasn’t stopped struggling or... screaming,” she said, her tone blank, not a hint of emotion shown on her face. But Theo could pick up smells easily, even with this ridiculous werewolf nose. The stress, fear and anger were clouding his senses, making him see shades of reds, greys and blues. The emotional whiplash was too much for him.

 

“How–?” he tried to ask, but his voice cracked on the word and he had to take a moment to compose himself, clearing his throat before trying again. “How long will it take?”

 

“With the amount we’re giving him, it shouldn’t be long now. He’ll be sluggish for a while after and most of the pain will still be there. It’s a good thing you guys got here so quickly. I think...” she faltered then, voice trailing off and her heart rate sky-rocketed.

 

“What?” he asked, not truly wanting to hear the answer, but needing to know. He needed to hear it—to make it real.

 

“You got it mostly on your hands and clothes. The most you would have had to deal with was regrowing skin—at worst a few limbs. But for Liam, it was eating through his chest and stomach. It would have disintegrated his blood vessels and internal organs. He would have—he would have died an agonising death.”

 

There was a long pause where Theo couldn't breathe.

 

“It’s a good thing we got him here in time then,” Theo croaked. He dropped his head to his chest, closing his eyes tightly and trying to control his breathing. Melissa mercifully said nothing further, and they stayed in silence as she tended to his hands and he tried not to break down.

 

“Okay, you’re all set,” Melissa said, securing the last bandage and patting his hand.

 

“Thank you.” He didn’t look up from his hands, staring at the stark white material. It was so unfair. Liam should be the one sitting there, nothing but a few bandages wrapped around his hands, not tied to a hospital bed, trying to claw his own skin off.

 

“You’re welcome,” Melissa said. She didn’t smile, but her look was slightly warmer than before and the lines around her lips had eased. She was about to leave when Theo grabbed her hands again, holding on tightly.

 

“Melissa,” he whispered, looking up to her. “I know I’ve done terrible things to your family. I’m not a good person. I shouldn’t be asking anything of you but... I think—I _know_ —soon, I won’t be around anymore. If you could please, just take care of him? If not for me then for Scott. I just need to know he’ll be safe when I’m gone.”

 

She stared at him, silent. He hoped she would take his request seriously though he knew she cared for Liam just as much as he did. She studied him, eyes trailing over his features, looking for any signs of insincerity.

 

“Well, you’re not gone yet, are you?” she said and his breath left him in a whoosh of air. “Take care of him and when you’re... gone, I’ll keep him alive.”

 

“ _Thank you,”_ he whispered. He thought he imagined the feeling of her hand gently patting his head, but his mind must have been playing tricks on him.

 

!

 

When Theo reached the room Liam was staying in, he had to pause outside of the door for a few seconds before going in. He didn’t know what to expect—he didn’t know how bad it would be. He took a breath and opened the door.

 

The room was like most others, though more private. There were two beds, a curtain separating the room. A fluorescent green light hung over the room, shrouding the room in an ominous glow that made Theo queasy. Liam was pale and limp on the bed, his skin dry and face sunken. He looked like a ghoul. They had bound his wrists and ankles to the bed, the deep bruises left by his struggle still fading.

 

Theo fell into the seat beside the bed, exhaustion finally taking over as he leaned forward and rested his head on the stiff mattress close to Liam’s leg. He reached out and traced where the IV lines were still attached to the inside of Liam’s arms, discoloured fluid being pumped into his veins. He traced the skin around the needles with his fingertips before moving lower and grasping Liam’s forearms. Black veins appeared along Theo’s healed fingers and disappeared under the bandages. Theo bit back a hiss but he didn’t stop.

Liam’s body seemed to relax, previously coiled tightly. It was a new thing Theo had learnt after taking Gabe’s pain for the first time. It only ever seemed to work with Liam—and although he knew exactly what that meant, he didn’t have the time or energy to acknowledge it. Not that Liam noticed. Despite growing into his role as Beacon Hills’ new protector, he could be selectively slow when he wanted to be—or when Theo needed him to be.

 

Theo drew his hand away, resting it next to Liam’s open palm. He didn’t grasp it, but he wanted to. He was about to close his eyes and drift off, waiting for Liam to wake up, when Liam thrashed.

 

“ _Theo!_ ” Liam screamed, making Theo’s chest ache at the sheer volume and emotion in his voice. He didn’t hesitate to grip Liam’s shoulders and push him back into the bed, keeping his weight on the other boy as he struggled.

 

“Calm down, I’m right here,” Theo said, trying to calm him. Liam’s struggles become less after a while, until he’s just breathing harshly, eyes unfocused as he searched for Theo. “Relax, your body’s still healing.”

 

“The hospital?” Liam asked, his eyes slowing and trailing over the room, taking in his surroundings. Theo didn’t lift his weight, instead shifting to lie beside Liam in the cramped bed. He reached behind him to the restraints and undid them.

 

“Yeah. Melissa had to wash that stuff of and cleanse your body with those magical herbs. You’re gonna be a little out of it for a while,” Theo explained, leaning over Liam’s chest to undo his other wrist. When he finished there, he moved to Liam’s ankles.

 

“We need to... call Scott...” Liam said, his voice croaky and uneven, unable to form full sentences.

 

“I called him when we got here. He knows the situation,” Theo said, finishing his task and sliding back up the bed and lying beside Liam again.

 

“...Mason?” Liam asked. He must remember the car ride to the hospital.

 

“He’s waiting in the car outside. He wanted to be in here with you but it wouldn’t have been good for him to see that.”

 

Liam was silent after that. Theo didn’t bother saying anything further, preferring the silence between them.

 

“Good call.” Liam said after a long time, and Theo, who drifted off to sleep, only made a small noise in agreement, his eyes already halfway closed. The silence descended over them again, and Theo had almost fallen into unconsciousness when Liam spoke again, softer this time.

 

“What are we going to do?” Liam asked. His shoulder was pressed into Theo’s, his breathing loud in the quiet room as they both stared up at the ceiling. Theo didn’t know which part Liam was referring to, but the answer remained the same.

 

“I have no goddamn clue.”

 

!

 

When Theo woke up, it was hours later. The sun had long set, and the building was eerily silent. The green light in the room seemed even more ominous, casting a low gloom over them. Liam was still asleep next to him and Theo carefully moved off the bed, not wanting to disturb him. He checked the IV bag, which was now empty. He fished his phone out of his back pocket and breathed a sigh of relief at the message staring back at him. He typed out a quick reply before shoving his phone back into his pocket and gently shaking Liam awake.

 

Liam made an annoyed sound, blinking up at Theo with tired, glassy eyes.

 

“I think it’s safe for us to leave now. Scott messaged me, the others arrived at Derek’s. They’re waiting on us,” Theo said, helping Liam to sit up straight. The acid of the poison had destroyed Liam’s clothes, so they would have to leave him in the hospital clothes.

 

“Don’t we need Melissa to check us out?” Liam asked, his voice still rough and scratchy from sleep. Theo helped pull him to his feet and Liam only swayed slightly.

 

“I don’t think now is the time to follow proper procedure,” Theo said with a small smile. Liam wrapped an arm around Theo’s shoulders and Theo wrapped an arm around his waist. Liam leaned heavily against his side, but Theo didn’t mind. “Come on.”

 

“Does it seem quiet to you?” Liam asked, as they neared the elevator. There was no one else on this floor except for the two of them—it had been quarantined off a year ago. It was mostly for the safety of both the humans and the supernatural.

 

“They couldn’t exactly keep injured werewolves on the same floor as humans when there’s a chance they could go feral because of pain or disease,” Theo said, but he felt that something was off. The silence was suffocating in a way—like a horror movie.

 

“When you put it like that...” Liam said and Theo chuckled, trying to ignore the tight feeling in his gut that something was wrong. They reached the elevator and Theo pressed the button for the ground floor. They didn’t speak, instead Liam leaned his head against Theo’s shoulder, his hair tickled Theo’s neck.

 

“Theo?” Liam asked, pulling away to look at Theo. Theo guessed Liam’s must have picked up on his tense posture and alert eyes. Liam frowned at him.

 

“It’s nothing,” Theo said, trying to reassure him. Liam nodded and leaned his head back on Theo’s shoulder. Not loud enough for Liam to hear, Theo whispered,  _“I think._ ”

 

“You know, I should expect something terrible to happen.” Liam said after another prolonged silence. Wasn’t this elevator taking longer than usual? It felt like it took hours.

 

“Why?” Theo asked, more concerned with the growing feeling of dread in his chest than with Liam’s question.

 

“Look where we are,” Liam said with a small laugh. Theo turned to look at him, frowning, before taking in their surroundings. He couldn’t help smiling.

 

“Ah, of course. Isn’t this where I saved your life the first time?” Theo said, a teasing lit to his voice that felt more real than anything else he’d said so far. Liam chuckled next to him, but cut himself off with a tiny hiss.

 

“Cocky asshole,” Liam said, but Theo didn’t have to see his face to know Liam was smiling. The thought made Theo’s own lips curl.

 

They had never talked about it before—it was too intimate; it was admitting too many feelings that both would rather not acknowledge. They poked fun at it sometimes, but it veered nowhere serious. When Theo thought about that first time—the first time he hadn’t only saved Liam’s life, but the first time they had ever worked as a team, fighting the Ghost Hunters together—his breath quickened a little. He could still see the blank shock and anger in Liam’s eyes as Theo shoved him into the elevator with a smirk he hadn’t felt. It was a bitter-sweet memory. He thought maybe that’s when everything had changed—when _he_ had started to change. But he knew it was before that, when he was dragging himself out of the ground and there was that annoying beta, standing over him with an unimpressed scowl.

 

“Hey, you wouldn’t be standing here right now if it wasn’t for me. Hell, you wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for me,” Theo said, pulling himself out of his own head and nudging Liam’s side, but not enough to hurt him.

 

“Fuck off. Scott would have found a way to bring me back,” Liam said, but he was staring at Theo with something that could only be described as fond, and his smile was wide. Theo had to look away.

 

“I have no doubt about that, but as it stands,” Theo said, looking straight ahead. “I saved you. Three times.”

 

The last bit made him smirk, but it fell away quickly.

 

“Whatever you say,” Liam said, not picking up on Theo’s attitude. Theo pulled Liam even closer when the elevator doors _dinged_ and opened. They had barely taken a step out of the elevator when a soft noise caught Theo’s attention. It would have been almost inaudible, indecipherable had Theo not recognised it so well. The cocking of a gun.

 

Theo froze and Liam stopped, looking at Theo strangely. Before Theo could say or do anything to warn him, a figure emerged at the end of the long, narrow hallway. More appeared at their sides, shadows looming in the distance. The lights flickered above them, and there was that sound again. Theo looked up. His throat closed, eyes widening.

 

“How the fuck..?” Liam muttered next to him.

 

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that, and the distinct feeling of déjà vu washed over him in waves. He felt as though he was moving underwater, movements heavy and sluggish. He looked at Liam, his expression still shocked and confused. He turned back to where the figure stood and everything came rushing back. He made his decision right then and there.

 

“I’m sorry,” Theo said, turning to look at Liam one last time before roughly shoving him back into the elevator and slamming the button so hard it almost broke.

 

“Theo? Theo, no,” Liam’s eyes widened as his body lurched forward almost automatically. “ _Theo,_ _don’t you dare.”_

 

The doors were closing and Theo got one last look at Liam’s face as he leaned forward, pressing his face as close to the closing gap as possible. Liam’s face crumpled as he said, “I’m sorry, Little Wolf. Find another way out, okay? I’ll find you. I promise.”

 

Theo lurched backwards as the doors closed. He could still hear Liam shouting—no shrieking—in anger as he disappeared upwards.

 

“ _Theo!”_ his voice was muffled, but Theo could still hear him. _“You_ fucking asshole! _No!”_

 

There was so much in his Liam’s voice in that moment, emotions Theo didn’t have the time to unpack and analyse and process. He shut his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching and the sharp _bang_ of a bullet hitting the space above his head.

 

“THEO!”

 

“ _I’m sorry,”_ Theo whispered, knowing Liam couldn’t hear him. His eyes burned for two different reasons. He turned and lunged without thinking.

 

!

 

“– _fucking asshole, you can’t do this!”_ Liam was still shouting into the empty elevator, banging against the metal doors. Theo couldn’t hear him, so it was pointless but he couldn’t stop.

 

“It’s always this fucking elevator,” Liam hissed when the doors opened and he found himself close on the top floor. He stumbled out, the adrenaline now running through his veins pushing him forward. Before he left, he turned to the elevator and spat, “Never again.”

 

it took a while for him to find an exit route, something that wouldn’t draw any attention to him. He knew they would be looking for him by now, so he had to get out quickly. He took the emergency stairs, rushing forward and almost tripping over ten times. He found himself on the third floor and he rushed out. There were still people milling around, nurses and doctors, unaware of what was going on right below them. Liam envied them.

 

He rushed, trying to find a room with a window of the parking lot. When he found one, he shut the door behind him and lunged for the window, almost ripping it off its hinges. He checked the height from the ground, but he found that he couldn’t care if he made the jump or not.

 

He just needed to get out of this fucking hospital. It was the only thing he could think about. No, it was the only thing he allowed himself to think about. If he didn’t, then he would be forced to remember that Theo was still somewhere in this hospital, alone, getting ripped to pieces, bullet holes piercing through his body. And Liam was just _leaving_ him there. Liam was _leaving him behind. He needed to go back._ How could he just leave–?

 

 _No_ , he told himself as he grabbed onto the ledge and hauled his body out. He would come back for Theo, the way Theo always had for him. He couldn’t help Theo, not with the way his body was still sluggish and his mind disorientated. If it wasn’t for the adrenaline rushing through him, Liam would have probably been done for a while ago.

 

He didn’t think as he jumped. He clenched his jaw as the tingles spread up his spine and he collided with the ground, saving his legs by crouching. He barely felt the impact. He rushed forward, already picking out Mason’s care among those that were still in the parking lot. He ripped the passenger door open, startling a sleeping Mason awake.

 

“Drive.” Liam said as Mason sputtered next to him.

 

“Liam, what the hell?” Mason asked, his voice still groggy and eyes unfocused.

 

“Just drive, Mason,” Liam said, looking straight into Mason’s eyes. His eyes burned bright gold in the darkness, and he was sure the scowl on his face must have been a sight.

 

“Where’s Theo?” Mason asked, starting the car without further prompting.

 

“Mason.” Liam said, and this time he was certain Mason heard the note of desperation in his voice, because he didn’t ask anymore questions as they exited the parking lot and the hospital faded further and further into the background until it disappeared from Liam’s view.

 

!

 

They reached Derek’s house in record time, breaking several traffic rules and almost causing an accident. Liam didn’t care. He flew out the door before Mason could stop the car. He took the front steps two-by-two, throwing the door open and a tired and frowning Corey greeted him.

 

“Corey.” Liam said, nodding a short greeting and moving past him. He felt Corey’s affronted stare on his back as he went.

 

He found everyone gathered in the living room, some standing, others sitting on the couches or floor as they stared up at Stiles and Scott, standing at the head of the group.

 

“–it’s not like things could get worse, right?” Stiles said, not quite joking, but Liam could tell he was trying to ease some of the tension in the room. Liam couldn’t help but feel that familiar pang of rage, but he took a deep breath and pushed it away. Theo’s voices echoed in his mind.

 

_I’ll find you. I promise._

 

_**You better, you fucker.** _

 

“Wrong. Things just got infinitely worse.” Liam said, and several heads whipped around to stare at him, some familiar and others he hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

“Liam? I thought–” Scott said, stepping forward to wrap an arm around Liam’s shoulders. Liam side-stepped him, not wanting comfort or soft words. He wanted to _do_ something. He wanted to go back to that fucking hospital and get Theo back. But he couldn’t. He had to be here, and that made his blood boil.

 

“She’s back, Scott.” Liam said, addressing Scott but looking out at the rest of the room. “Monroe and the hunters are back.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a whole ass minute since I updated this, but it hope you enjoyed it anyway. The only thing I can say about this is that it's only the beginning. Things will get worse and for that I'm (not) sorry. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.


	6. S7E06 - The Return of Theo Raeken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo Raeken returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a minute. welcome back to this high-quality mess. I hope you enjoy.

There’s blood at his side and he can’t remember how it got there. After shoving Liam into the elevator, everything had passed in a haze of smoke and bullets. His lungs burn with the second-hand smoke and he gives small, aborted coughs that aggravate his wound. He’s slumped on the ground, cracked pieces of concrete scattered around him. He coughs again. Blood stains the ground. He closes his eyes at the sight, but the flash of blue eyes brings emotion so strong he has to open them again. It’s selfish, but he wishes he had gone with Liam. Even worse, he wishes he’d taken Liam up on that offer of just getting the fuck out of Beacon Hills.

 

Footsteps echo through the corridor on his left, the sound of a gun cocking setting his pulse racing. He stiffens. He doesn’t have enough strength to fight them off and the exhaustion creeping through him would make it difficult to out-run them. He tries to move but almost bites through his tongue to repress a loud groan. The pain flares, and he goes light-headed. He blinks a few times to clear the blurriness from his vision.

 

“Come now, Omega. There’s no place for you to hide. We know you’re hurt.” a familiar voice calls out and Theo snarls even though she can’t see him. He doesn’t want to know how she knows about his change in status.

 

 _Monroe._ He had been so sure they had been done with her for good. Scott told them she was gone and would never return. And Theo—the new naïve, trusting Theo—had believed him. He should have known things wouldn’t be that easy. With the world they lived in, people never stayed gone. Or dead. He was a prime example.

 

He has limited options. He could try to run, but between the wound and fatigue, he won’t make it very far. They may even gun him down. He can stay where he is, allow them to come for him and try to fight his way out. They’d have him dead in seconds. There were too many of them.

 

He does the only thing that gives him a semblance of control in this situation.

 

“I’m not hiding,” he says, loud enough for them to hear.

 

The footsteps falter before changing direction. They draw closer and he can’t help the way his body tenses, reading for a fight. He’s been around Liam for too long if this is his first instinct. Liam fucking Dunbar, always wanting to fight his way out of every situation.

 

“Of course.”

 

She comes into view at the end of the corridor. She looks much changed, hair shaved and features as sharp as the razor edge of a knife. Two people flank her on either side, guns held in his direction faces hidden behind black masks. Her shadow looms over him as she draws to a stop. She bends down and smiles.

 

“I thought we’d gotten rid of you,” he says, resisting the urge to spit in her face. Her smile irks him, too wide. Too much teeth. It gives him the distinct feeling he’s just been played. “Scott was pretty sure of it.”

 

“Oh, you didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” she says, voice sickly sweet. Her stare bores holes into his skull. He imagines that the only thoughts running through her mind are of the many _many_ ways she can probably skin him alive. “You, of all people, should know all about resurrections.”

 

“Is that what happened? A resurrection?”

 

He had doubted that Scott had killed her when he announced that she was gone for good. Theo, despite his fresh start and new morals, would have killed her. If it meant saving his friends. Others like him. Liam. But he guesses it wouldn’t have mattered if Scott had killed her or not. She would have found a way back.

 

“You’re smarter than that, Raeken. I’m not going to tell you anything,” she says, and he smiles, but there’s no humor. Every fiber of his being screams for him to run, to get as far away from her as possible, but that was no longer an option. He has to let this play out.

 

“Unless...” He raises an eyebrow. The fact that she hadn’t immediately ordered her people to kill him, tells him everything he needs to know. She wants something from him.

 

“Unless?” she asks, feigning confusion. He knows better.

 

Loathe as he is to admit it, he and Monroe shared a similar goal once upon a time. He knows the game she’s playing. Though, he wonders who plays it better.

 

“There’s always a catch. What’s yours?” he asks.

 

The confusion vanishes as if it had never been there and the shark-like smile returns. She leans in until they’re uncomfortably close. Almost nose-to-nose. Theo grits his teeth and doesn’t pull away. She raises a hand and pats his cheek. He doesn’t flinch, but it’s a near thing.

 

“See. _Smart_.”

 

“I’m bleeding out here, enough games. Either kill me or let me go.” He needs to get things moving. He doesn’t want to die before he gets the chance to escape. If he gets the chance to escape. With the way Monroe looks at him, he can’t help wondering why she looks so confident. As if she’s already won.

 

Maybe she has. Theo shudders.

 

She leans back and stands, towering over him. He maintains eye-contact. Everyone knows not to ignore a predator. They could strike at any moment.

 

“We want your help.”

 

There’s a pause. He laughs.

 

The pain in his side increases tenfold, but he doesn’t stop laughing. It’s absurd. If there’s one thing he had not expected, it was this.

 

“ _Ha!”_ he spits. His laughter dies, replaced with suspicion and anger. The woman who’d hunted him and his people wanted his help. “What makes you think I’d help you? Weren’t you the one killing supernatural creatures wherever you went?”

 

“That was the past,” she says and his vision flares red and he takes a sharp breath to calm himself down. _Fuck,_ he really has been spending too much time around Liam if this is his first reaction. He takes another breath and lets it out slowly.

 

He can’t negotiate like this. He needs to get out of Liam mindset and back into his own.

 

“And now you’ve seen the light _?_ I don’t believe it for a second,” he says. She kneels again, her smile still perfect and in place. It’s then he notices the scars running across her collarbones. Stark white-pink lines against dark-brown skin.

 

“I don’t need you to believe it.” She trails a finger under his chin and grasps his jaw firmly. She forces his eyes to meet hers, holding him in place. “I need you to _pay attention.”_

 

Her irises flash bright red and he jerks in surprise. Her smirk grows impossibly wider.

 

“What the fuck?” he whispers, more to himself. His mind whirls with different scenarios.

 

“Surprising, I know. Trust me, I didn’t expect this either.”

 

A werewolf. A fucking _Alpha._ What the fuck is happening right now? He has to be dreaming. Or having a nightmare. It’s the only explanation. He half expects to wake up, tangled in the too-many blankets Liam likes to drape over them. He blinks but his still here.

 

“You became a werewolf,” he says. “And _Alpha_.”

 

“Yes.” She offers nothing more.

 

“How?” he asks. he’ll admit that his curious. Monroe _hates_ them. She’s killed entire packs, woman, men, children. She’s painted walls in their blood. Has taken claws, teeth, fur as trophies. She would never become one of them.

 

But apparently, she has.

 

“Extenuating circumstances, if I say so myself.” she lifts one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. She glances once at the people surrounding them, guns still pointed towards Theo’s head. She leans forward again though not as close as before. Her voice drops as if sharing a secret with him. “There’s a little cave on the outskirts of a village in Taiwan. Warning, the guardians don’t like trespassers.”

 

“No, I imagine they don’t like humans or _hunters.”_

 

She smiles serenely, ignoring his comment. It grates on him, how calm she is. Whenever they have come across her in the past, she was always something akin to a blazing fire. Always burning too hot, too much. She burnt everything in her path, everything around her. Theo thinks there may have been a time where she even burnt herself. But gone was the spit-fire. The hot-headed, reckless hunter. He doesn’t know who this woman is.

 

“It’s lucky for you I’m no longer either.”

 

“What do you want from me?” he asks. He has an inkling he already knows, but he wants to hear her say it.

 

“I want an _in._ Scott McCall and his little, mismatched excuse of a pack need to be eradicated.”

 

 _There it is,_ he thinks. She may have changed. She may be a completely different person. But she still wants the same things. Theo finds himself relieved at the predictability.

 

“I thought you weren’t a hunter?” he says, raising an eyebrow. She looks at him, amused.

 

“I’m not, but it’s time to face the facts. Humans and Supernaturals can _never_ coexist. Before I thought it was because they were abominations, a disease. But now I see the truth. They’re stronger—I’m stronger. Humans are fragile, weak. They amble about while we must hide in the shadows. Scott McCall wants to protect those fragile weaklings—I want to rid the world of them.”

 

Theo distinctly remembers the one (and only) time he’d ever been to the circus. When he’d gone into the _House of Mirrors._ He’d gone to every mirror, standing in front of his own warped reflection, dumbly marveled at the image before him. He feels like that again now. Everything Monroe says sounds exactly like the bullshit she’d been sprouting before, only in reverse. Before, it was _the supernatural are a disease, humans need to be protected from these monsters._ And now its _humans are the weak ones, we are superior._

 

How convenient of her to change her mind after the smallest taste of power.

 

“And what makes you think _I_ can help you? Scott and his pack don’t exactly trust me.”

 

It’s true. Scott _doesn’t_ trust him, and Theo can never blame him for that. He’d lied to them, betrayed them. He’d torn the pack apart. No amount of time could ever change the past. But over time he’s learned that he doesn’t care if Scott trusts him. He cares—despite his better judgment, despite the loud voice in his head screaming at him he’s made a _terrible, awful_ decision—about Liam. Liam who brought him back. Gave him a home. Friends. A _family._

 

“But his pretty, little Beta does. Liam Dunbar—you live with him, don’t you? You’re close.”

 

He freezes. The blood drains from his face and he’s left cold and numb. His hands clench around nothing, claws tearing through the skin of his palms. The world tilts on its axis and he fights the darkness closing around him. How could she know? Did she have spies in Beacon Hills? Around their house? _Fuck, David and Jenna._ What if–

 

“That’s what a thought.”

 

Her voice snapped his focus back to her, and he lets out the breath that has been choking him. He doesn’t gasp, but every breath feels like it’s not enough. He tries to calm himself down, pushing thoughts of Liam and his parents away. He has already let her see how much she can affect him. He needs to regain some control. It takes effort, but he swallows the lump in his throat and looks at her. Her expression is smug.

 

“You think I’d betray him.” It’s a statement, not a question. He knows she believes he would. If he were her—if he were _himself_ from two years ago—he’d believe the same. But it’s there where she’s wrong.

 

“Yes.”

 

“What if I told you you’re wrong?” he says, testing the waters. Testing her. But no one moves. Monroe doesn’t attack. Instead, the calm, serene smile stays in place and the eyes smug.

 

“Then I’d give you some incentive,” she says with another shrug. She’s so nonchalant as if she’s having a casual conversation with one of her former students in her office back at Beacon Hills High.

 

“I won’t be bought.” He lunges forward, snarling. She does nothing back away. No one shoots him.

 

“Oh but you will,” she smirks, and he reminds himself forcefully not to lunge forward and rip her throat out. “Everyone has a price and I can _guarantee_ that you’ll be tempted by this one.”

 

He’s too late to move out of her grasp when she strikes. She grabs his head in both her hands, nails digging into his skin almost deep enough to draw blood. White noise rings through his head, deafening. He thinks he may be screaming, but he can’t hear anything. His vision tunnels until all he sees is her face. Her dark eyes. White teeth. Cruel smirk.

 

 _Is that what I used to look like?_ He thinks in passing. He thinks it’s hideous.

 

“You were a failed experiment—that’s all you will ever be,” her voice rings through his mind, blocking out everything else. “Scott McCall put you in the ground and your little friend did nothing to stop him. You might fool them into thinking you’ve changed but I know better. There has to be a little anger, doesn’t there? A part of you that remembers what it was like down there.”

 

He knows what she’s doing. The game she’s playing. And he knows he has to give her what she wants. If she thinks she can get to him, he’ll have a chance of making it out alive. Of getting back to Liam. To his life. However short that life would be with Kira back in town. But if she doubts him now, he knows there’ll be a bullet through his skull before she even pulls away.

 

So he allows himself to show her everything he hasn’t allowed himself to show Liam. Fear, anger, and desperation. He doesn’t want to go back. He’ll put on a smirk, or make a joke or tell Liam he doesn’t care, but he _does._

 

 _I have a life;_ he thinks as she stares at him. He thinks of Liam, lying in bed on a Saturday, snoring loudly enough to wake Theo. Jenna’s cooking and Sundays camped out in front of the TV with David. He thinks of Corey and helping him practice lacrosse. Of mocking Mason while he studies for mid-terms. _I made this life. It’s mine._

 

 _ **It’s not fair.**_ He’s worked hard for this life. To become who he is now only for Kira to show up and take it all away.

 

“ _There it is.”_ Monroe sing-songs. Theo fights the nausea building in him as he shows his vulnerability to what may be his worst enemy. “Friendship means nothing when the cost is freedom.”

 

“So what is it? What’s my price.” his voice is hoarse, but he ignores it. He ignores the prickling in his eyes. He’s not sad—not even angry. He knows what he has to do. He wishes he didn’t have to do it.

 

“Bring him.”

 

They haul him up and drag him along. He doesn’t fight them, but he winces in pain as the movement prods at the wound. Monroe walks ahead of them, navigating through long corridors with suspicious ease. They reach the abandoned waiting room, torn chairs line the walls, plastic sheets covering the counters and hospital beds.

 

His heart stops when he sees them. Hunched over, they’re still taller than him. Their cloaks drag across the floor, bony hands peeking out from oversized sleeves. He catches a flash of red eyes beneath the hoods but nothing else. One of them leans towards Monroe. They say no words, but Theo knows somehow he’s missed an entire conversation. Monroe’s men don’t let go of him, only drag him forward and hold him upright in front of the dozen figures. Ice crawls across his skin, seeping into his bones and freezing him from the inside out. The air around them flutters, shadows encasing their figures.

 

He can still see those nails digging into the surface of the nemeton. The thick, black liquid oozing into the ground. The roar of the creature. _The creature that almost killed Liam and seared his arms off._

 

_Theodore Raeken._

 

The voice is raspy and guttural. He’s not sure who speaks—if any of them do. The voice sounds more like it's speaking from within his mind than aloud. He hopes they can’t read his mind. He’ll be done for in a second.

 

“You know me?” he asks. When in doubt, keep the cocky façade.

 

_We know all that are, all that have been and all that will be._

 

“That not creepy and vague at all.” He feigns an eye-roll. The words send a tremor through him, a spike of revulsion.

 

_We're offering you the chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of your creators. A chance to complete the mission you have failed in the past. A chance at freedom._

 

“That’s big talk coming from a bunch of shadows.” He can’t brace himself as one leaps forward. Long, bony figures wrap around his throat, drawing the air from his lungs. They lift his feet off the ground, the tips of his shoes struggling against the floor. Those eyes burn into his soul.

 

_We are more than shadows, child. You are the fates—those who oversee balance. We could just as easily put you back in the ground where you belong._

 

“I’m _sick_ of everyone telling me where I belong.” he gasps out. The creature drops him and he collapses into a heap. He struggles to a standing position, hand pressed into the wound at his side. There’s too much blood. He’s not healing. _Wolfsbane._ He stumbles where he stands, dizzy and out-of-breath. A hand touches his cheek. The creature tilts its head, the gesture surprisingly human.

 

_Help us, and you’ll never have to hear those words again._

 

“And what proof do I have that’ll you’ll honor your deal?” he rasps. The pain is becoming too much. His knees buckle under his weight. The creature stares down at him before gesturing for Monroe to come closer.

 

_You’re not a creature of honor, Mr. Raeken. But the proof is right in front of your eyes. Pay attention._

 

“We were dying in that cave,” Monroe says. Her gaze is far away, fingertips trailing over the scar tissue. “My men, all of them struck with sickness. There were ten of us left, on our last breath. We crawled on our hands and knees until we found them. Trapped beneath that mountain, bound there by blood. It only took one sacrifice to release them and in return, they gave us unimaginable power.”

 

“What are you-” he starts but the creatures move quickly, hands grasping at his arms, his legs, his face. Power—raw, blinding, _painful_ power—pours into him. Electricity stutters in his veins. His blood bubbles, skin flaking and regrowing. It’s painful, and he’s sure his voice will be raw from the screaming.

 

When it stops everything is different. Sharper. Brighter. Louder. The wound is healed. His eyes flash blue, then yellow, then... _green?_ He rises, stronger. The exhaustion is gone. He blinks at his surroundings, taking it all in. He remembers this feeling. He hasn’t felt this in a long time.

 

_Powerful._

 

But when he looks at the creatures, he can’t help but be reminded of the Dread Doctors. When he looks at Monroe and her men, all he sees is Josh and Tracy and the rest of the _failed experiments._ He was powerful, but at what cost?

 

_Is that enough proof to sustain you for now?_

 

“Y-Yes.”

 

The stutter in his voice is only half-fake. he’ll admit that he is genuinely afraid. No one should have this much power. It’s too dangerous. The chaos they could reek. Theo doesn’t believe in any god, but he knows there is a natural order to things. And whatever these creatures were, they threaten  _everything._

 

_Good. Remember—it can be taken away just as easily as it was given._

 

“And how do you know I won’t return and use these new powers to betray you?” this is the final test. Not only for them but for him as well.

 

He couldn’t be Liam’s guard-dog. Couldn’t be his friend. His _whatever_ it was they were too each other. Liam, despite the learning curve he’s taken and changes he’s made is too reckless. Charges in without thinking. He can’t be the person he is now, the person Liam taught him to be. The person he _learned_ to be. He knows who he needs to be.

 

_Everyone is afraid of something. Your fear taints the air with its stench. A tiny, pathetic little boy. So show us._

 

And he does. Kira. The sword. Scott and his unwillingness. Stiles and his snide comments. The desperation. The anger. He shows them exactly what they want to see and no more.

 

He banishes images of Liam. Puts them in a box and stores them away, out of reach to the creatures digging through his mind. The cold creeps in again and then he opens his eyes—numb and unfeeling.

 

He smiles.

 

“Welcome back, Theo Raeken.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit shorter, but this is a turning point. 
> 
> apologies for any spelling/grammatical errors. 
> 
> comments and kudos appreciated. I seek validation.


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